bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Problems of Learning the Qur’an in Early Childhood Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Aghnaita Aghnaita , Norhikmah Norhikmah 
Published: March 2023

Purpose – The early learning of the Qur’an, infused with Islamic values, has been widely regarded as an effective tool in preserving the natural inclinations of children and nurturing their humanity. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant obstacles to Qur’an learning in Early Childhood Education (ECE) institutions. As such, this study seeks to offer a comprehensive description of the challenges faced by these institutions in delivering their teachings during this global health crisis.Design/methods/approach – The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative research. The location of this research was carried out at 4 ECE institutions. Namely: RA Al-Muslimun Nurul Islam, TKIT Asy-Syaamil Qur’anic Fullday School, Integrated Star Islamic Early Childhood Education, and RA Ulumul Qur’an Al Madani.Findings – The current COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for learning the Qur’an in ECE. These issues can be categorized as internal and external factors. Internal factors relate to teachers’ difficulties when conducting practical learning activities outside the classroom. Meeting constraints, large class sizes, and limited time duration often result in an inability to deliver a complete learning experience. Externally, learning losses in early childhood have become apparent, with children experiencing behavioral changes. Not all parents are equipped to accompany their children in instilling Islamic values based on the Qur’an at home. This issue is compounded by parental objections to tuition fees, which creates financial challenges for institutions. Finally, offline learning has been the subject of criticism from the community, which indirectly affects the learning process.Research implications/limitations – This study used a qualitative method related to the problems of learning the Qur’an in ECE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Practical implications – The research presents significant implications for developing Al-Qur’an learning post-pandemic. It also provides valuable insights into formulating policies about Al-Qur’an learning during pandemics. Additionally, the study sheds light on the effectiveness of character building during the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic.Originality/value – Potential avenues for further investigation could include examining the effects of COVID-19 on the acquisition of Qur’anic knowledge during early childhood and its potential impacts on personality development. Such research could contribute to a deeper understanding of how the pandemic has influenced educational and psychological outcomes in this context.
Paper type Research paper
Far-IR emission from bright high-redshift quasars
Authors: Vasiliev Evgenii O. , Shchekinov Yuri A. , Nath Biman B. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The majority of quasars detected at high redshifts (

z
≳
6

z\gtrsim 6

) strongly emit ultraviolet radiation with absolute magnitudes at rest-frame

M

1450
Å
,
A
B

∼

−

(

29

–

27

)

{M}_{1450\mathring{\rm A} ,AB}\hspace{0.33em} \sim \hspace{0.33em}-\left(29\hspace{0.1em}\text{&#x2013;}\hspace{0.1em}27)

. Some of them have high luminosities in [CII]

158

μ
m

158\hspace{0.33em}{\rm{\mu }}{\rm{m}}

line and in far-infrared (FIR) continuum, which leads to the expectation of a large amount of much cold dusty gas in these quasars. We have studied the relation between luminosities in the [CII]

158

μ
m

158\hspace{0.33em}{\rm{\mu }}{\rm{m}}

and the FIR continuum for a slightly absorbed supermassive black hole (SMBH) obscured by an ensemble of dense clouds with a low covering factor. We have found that dense clouds with a low covering factor can give sufficient luminosities in [CII]

158

μ
m

158\hspace{0.33em}{\rm{\mu }}{\rm{m}}

line and the underlying FIR continuum to reproduce the [CII]-FIR ratio observed in high-redshift quasars for a reasonable SMBH mass of

M

•

∼

1

0

9

M

⊙

{M}_{\bullet }\hspace{0.33em} \sim \hspace{0.33em}1{0}^{9}{M}_{\odot }

. We note that many distant mildly/heavily obscured active galactic nuclei are to avoid detection in near-infrared (IR) wavelengths; if this is the case, blind IR/FIR surveys are needed.
HiPerMAb: a tool for judging the potential of small sample size biomarker pilot studies
Authors: Al-Mekhlafi Amani , Klawonn Frank 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Common statistical approaches are not designed to deal with so-called “short fat data” in biomarker pilot studies, where the number of biomarker candidates exceeds the sample size by magnitudes. High-throughput technologies for omics data enable the measurement of ten thousands and more biomarker candidates for specific diseases or states of a disease. Due to the limited availability of study participants, ethical reasons and high costs for sample processing and analysis researchers often prefer to start with a small sample size pilot study in order to judge the potential of finding biomarkers that enable – usually in combination – a sufficiently reliable classification of the disease state under consideration. We developed a user-friendly tool, called HiPerMAb that allows to evaluate pilot studies based on performance measures like multiclass AUC, entropy, area above the cost curve, hypervolume under manifold, and misclassification rate using Monte-Carlo simulations to compute the p-values and confidence intervals. The number of “good” biomarker candidates is compared to the expected number of “good” biomarker candidates in a data set with no association to the considered disease states. This allows judging the potential in the pilot study even if statistical tests with correction for multiple testing fail to provide any hint of significance.
A microanalysis study of EFL teacher self-regulation in COVID-19 emergency remote teaching
Authors: Dong Li 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Teacher self-regulation is under-studied yet important especially for teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) who need to conduct remote teaching over the internet due to COVID-19, known as emergency remote teaching (ERT). In light of the teacher development and self-regulation model that consists of the three phases of forethought, performance and self-reflection, this qualitative study applies the microanalysis method to explore how one novice-level and two master-level Chinese university EFL teachers self-regulated their ERT teaching. After synthetical term frequency analysis using jiebaR, we summarised a total of 14 teacher self-regulation strategies corresponding to the three phases and categorised them into ERT goals (three strategies), motivation for ERT (three strategies), self-control in ERT (three strategies), self-observation in ERT (one strategy), self-judgment from the ERT class (two strategies) and self-reaction from the ERT class (one strategy). We ended by proposing a tentative EFL teacher self-regulation model for ERT context. Implications are provided.
Asymmetric tetramer metasurface sensor governed by quasi-bound states in the continuum
Authors: Zhou Yi , Luo Man , Zhao Xuyang , Li Yuxiang , Wang Qi , Liu Zhiran , Guo Junhong , Guo Zhihe , Liu Junjie , Wu Xiang 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Asymmetric metasurfaces supporting quasi-bound states in the continuum (BICs) with high Q-factors and strong light–matter interaction properties are attractive platforms for label-free biosensing applications. Recently, various meta-atom geometries have been exploited to support sharp high-Q quasi-BIC resonance. However, which meta-atom design may be a better practical choice remains unclear. Here, we compared several established meta-atom designs to address this issue by conducting an extensive theoretical discussion on sensing capability and fabrication difficulty. We theoretically revealed that the tetramer meta-atom geometry produces a higher surface sensitivity and exhibits a larger size-to-wavelength ratio than other meta-atom schemes. Furthermore, we found that metasurfaces with a higher depth considerably enhance surface sensitivity. The performance of two asymmetric tetramer metasurfaces (ATMs) with different heights was demonstrated experimentally. Both shallow and thick ATM structures exhibit sharp high Q-factor resonances with polarization-insensitive features. Notably, the surface sensitivity is 1.62 times for thick ATM compared to that for shallow ones. The combination of properties opens new opportunities for developing biosensing or chemical-sensing applications with high performance.
Experimental study on hydraulic fracture behavior of concrete with wedge-splitting testing
Authors: Zhao Wenhu , Fang Tao , Chen Xiaocui , Sun Liguo 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
The aim of this paper is to investigate the water pressure effects on hydraulic fracture behavior of concrete with wedge-splitting testing under dynamic loading. Five waterproof strain gauges are stuck along the crack path to observe the fracture process during the experiments. Four silicon water pressure sensors successfully measured the water pressure value on concrete face. The results show that the water pressure on crack faces accelerates the crack propagation of the concrete. The critical values of the splitting force decrease 26.7 and 25.6%, respectively, with the external applied water pressure of 0.2 and 0.4 MPa. Moreover, the hydraulic crack propagation speed increases at the beginning and tends to reach a peak value finally. The peak value of cracking speed is 11.08 m/s, which is high. Under dynamic loading, the water fails to fill the crack and only the trapped water interacts with the crack face. The water pressure is mainly a parabolic curve distribution along the crack path and the peak value decreases with the increase in the crack length.
Multiple and Dissociable Effects of Sensory History on Working-Memory Performance
Authors: Hajonides Jasper E. , van Ede Freek , Stokes Mark G. , Nobre Anna C. , Myers Nicholas E. 
Published: March 2023

Behavioral reports of sensory information are biased by stimulus history. The nature and direction of such serial-dependence biases can differ between experimental settings; both attractive and repulsive biases toward previous stimuli have been observed. How and when these biases arise in the human brain remains largely unexplored. They could occur either via a change in sensory processing itself and/or during postperceptual processes such as maintenance or decision-making. To address this, we tested 20 participants (11 female) and analyzed behavioral and magnetoencephalographic (MEG) data from a working-memory task in which participants were sequentially presented with two randomly oriented gratings, one of which was cued for recall at the end of the trial. Behavioral responses showed evidence for two distinct biases: (1) a within-trial repulsive bias away from the previously encoded orientation on the same trial, and (2) a between-trial attractive bias toward the task-relevant orientation on the previous trial. Multivariate classification of stimulus orientation revealed that neural representations during stimulus encoding were biased away from the previous grating orientation, regardless of whether we considered the within-trial or between-trial prior orientation, despite opposite effects on behavior. These results suggest that repulsive biases occur at the level of sensory processing and can be overridden at postperceptual stages to result in attractive biases in behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTRecent experience biases behavioral reports of sensory information, possibly capitalizing on the temporal regularity in our environment. It is still unclear at what stage of stimulus processing such serial biases arise. Here, we recorded behavior and neurophysiological [magnetoencephalographic (MEG)] data to test whether neural activity patterns during early sensory processing show the same biases seen in participants' reports. In a working-memory task that produced multiple biases in behavior, responses were biased toward previous targets, but away from more recent stimuli. Neural activity patterns were uniformly biased away from all previously relevant items. Our results contradict proposals that all serial biases arise at an early sensory processing stage. Instead, neural activity exhibited mostly adaptation-like responses to recent stimuli.
Widespread fMRI BOLD Signal Overactivations during Cognitive Control in Older Adults Are Not Matched by Corresponding Increases in fPET Glucose Metabolism
Authors: Stiernman Lars , Grill Filip , McNulty Charlotte , Bahrd Philip , Panes Lundmark Vania , Axelsson Jan , Salami Alireza , Rieckmann Anna 
Published: March 2023

A common observation in fMRI studies using the BOLD signal is that older adults, compared with young adults, show overactivations, particularly during less demanding tasks. The neuronal underpinnings of such overactivations are not known, but a dominant view is that they are compensatory in nature and involve recruitment of additional neural resources. We scanned 23 young (20-37 years) and 34 older (65-86 years) healthy human adults of both sexes with hybrid positron emission tomography/MRI. The radioligand [18F]fluoro-deoxyglucose was used to assess dynamic changes in glucose metabolism as a marker of task-dependent synaptic activity, along with simultaneous fMRI BOLD imaging. Participants performed two verbal working memory (WM) tasks: one involving maintenance (easy) and one requiring manipulation (difficult) of information in WM. Converging activations to the WM tasks versus rest were observed for both imaging modalities and age groups in attentional, control, and sensorimotor networks. Upregulation of activity to WM-demand, comparing the more difficult to the easier task, also converged between both modalities and age groups. For regions in which older adults showed task-dependent BOLD overactivations compared with the young adults, no corresponding increases in glucose metabolism were found. To conclude, findings from the current study show that task-induced changes in the BOLD signal and synaptic activity as measured by glucose metabolism generally converge, but overactivations observed with fMRI in older adults are not coupled with increased synaptic activity, which suggests that these overactivations are not neuronal in origin.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTFindings of increased fMRI activations in older compared with younger adults have been suggested to reflect increased use of neuronal resources to cope with reduced brain function. The physiological underpinnings of such compensatory processes are poorly understood, however, and rest on the assumption that vascular signals accurately reflect neuronal activity. Comparing fMRI and simultaneously acquired functional positron emission tomography as an alternative index of synaptic activity, we show that age-related overactivations do not appear to be neuronal in origin. This result is important because mechanisms underlying compensatory processes in aging are potential targets for interventions aiming to prevent age-related cognitive decline.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors within Cells: Temporal Resolution in Cytoplasm, Endoplasmic Reticulum, and Membrane
Authors: Nichols Aaron L. , Blumenfeld Zack , Luebbert Laura , Knox Hailey J. , Muthusamy Anand K. , Marvin Jonathan S. , Kim Charlene H. , Grant Stephen N. , Walton David P. , Cohen Bruce N. , Hammar Rebekkah , Looger Loren , Artursson Per , Dougherty Dennis A. , Lester Henry A. 
Published: March 2023

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prescribed treatment for individuals experiencing major depressive disorder. The therapeutic mechanisms that take place before, during, or after SSRIs bind the serotonin transporter (SERT) are poorly understood, partially because no studies exist on the cellular and subcellular pharmacokinetic properties of SSRIs in living cells. We studied escitalopram and fluoxetine using new intensity-based, drug-sensing fluorescent reporters targeted to the plasma membrane, cytoplasm, or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of cultured neurons and mammalian cell lines. We also used chemical detection of drug within cells and phospholipid membranes. The drugs attain equilibrium in neuronal cytoplasm and ER at approximately the same concentration as the externally applied solution, with time constants of a few s (escitalopram) or 200–300 s (fluoxetine). Simultaneously, the drugs accumulate within lipid membranes by ≥18-fold (escitalopram) or 180-fold (fluoxetine), and possibly by much larger factors. Both drugs leave cytoplasm, lumen, and membranes just as quickly during washout. We synthesized membrane-impermeant quaternary amine derivatives of the two SSRIs. The quaternary derivatives are substantially excluded from membrane, cytoplasm, and ER for >2.4 h. They inhibit SERT transport-associated currents sixfold or 11-fold less potently than the SSRIs (escitalopram or fluoxetine derivative, respectively), providing useful probes for distinguishing compartmentalized SSRI effects. Although our measurements are orders of magnitude faster than the therapeutic lag of SSRIs, these data suggest that SSRI–SERT interactions within organelles or membranes may play roles during either the therapeutic effects or the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors stabilize mood in several disorders. In general, these drugs bind to SERT, which clears serotonin from CNS and peripheral tissues. SERT ligands are effective and relatively safe; primary care practitioners often prescribe them. However, they have several side effects and require 2–6 weeks of continuous administration until they act effectively. How they work remains perplexing, contrasting with earlier assumptions that the therapeutic mechanism involves SERT inhibition followed by increased extracellular serotonin levels. This study establishes that two SERT ligands, fluoxetine and escitalopram, enter neurons within minutes, while simultaneously accumulating in many membranes. Such knowledge will motivate future research, hopefully revealing where and how SERT ligands engage their therapeutic target(s).
Monkey Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Represents Abstract Visual Sequences during a No-Report Task
Authors: Yusif Rodriguez Nadira , McKim Theresa H. , Basu Debaleena , Ahuja Aarit , Desrochers Theresa M. 
Published: March 2023

Monitoring sequential information is an essential component of our daily lives. Many of these sequences are abstract, in that they do not depend on the individual stimuli, but do depend on an ordered set of rules (e.g., chop then stir when cooking). Despite the ubiquity and utility of abstract sequential monitoring, little is known about its neural mechanisms. Human rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) exhibits specific increases in neural activity (i.e., “ramping”) during abstract sequences. Monkey dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been shown to represent sequential information in motor (not abstract) sequence tasks, and contains a subregion, area 46, with homologous functional connectivity to human RLPFC. To test the prediction that area 46 may represent abstract sequence information, and do so with parallel dynamics to those found in humans, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in three male monkeys. When monkeys performed no-report abstract sequence viewing, we found that left and right area 46 responded to abstract sequential changes. Interestingly, responses to rule and number changes overlapped in right area 46 and left area 46 exhibited responses to abstract sequence rules with changes in ramping activation, similar to that observed in humans. Together, these results indicate that monkey DLPFC monitors abstract visual sequential information, potentially with a preference for different dynamics in the two hemispheres. More generally, these results show that abstract sequences are represented in functionally homologous regions across monkeys and humans.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDaily, we complete sequences that are “abstract” because they depend on an ordered set of rules (e.g., chop then stir when cooking) rather than the identity of individual items. Little is known about how the brain tracks, or monitors, this abstract sequential information. Based on previous human work showing abstract sequence related dynamics in an analogous area, we tested whether monkey dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), specifically area 46, represents abstract sequential information using awake monkey functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We found that area 46 responded to abstract sequence changes, with a preference for more general responses on the right and dynamics similar to humans on the left. These results suggest that abstract sequences are represented in functionally homologous regions across monkeys and humans.
The impacts of the drug war on Indigenous Peoples in Latin America: An overview
Authors: Labate Beatriz Caiuby , Rodrigues Thiago 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis paper aims at presenting an overview of the historic and current features concerning the relationship among original peoples, psychoactive drugs, and various forms of anti-drug practices in Latin America. The current expansion of extractivist capitalism in Latin America overlaps with Indigenous peoples' traditional lands, provoking new forms of violence and confrontation. The War on Drugs is being used as a justification to militarize these lands and to criminalize Indigenous populations. Thus, neo-extractivist initiatives in Latin America provoke renewed clashes between Indigenous peoples' interests and local and global elites' purposes. We seek to raise awareness about the relationship between the drug war and Indigenous people's human rights violations as an alert and an invitation for social scientists to engage in theoretical and empirical research on this issue.
Association between mystical-type experiences under psychedelics and improvements in well-being or mental health – A comprehensive review of the evidence
Authors: Kangaslampi Samuli 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackground and aimsIngestion or administration of classic psychedelics is sometimes associated with improvements in well-being or mental health. Acute mystical-type experiences that psychedelics occasion have been suggested to be related to such improvements. Meanwhile, other features of the psychedelic experience, such as psychological insights and emotional breakthroughs, are also increasingly being studied. This review aimed to collect and assess the available evidence for mystical-type experiences under psychedelics associating with medium-to-long term improvements in well-being or mental health, on their own and as compared with other features of the acute experience.MethodsI conducted a pre-registered, comprehensive review of existing empirical studies on the topic, based on a systematic search of the literature.ResultsForty-four eligible studies were found, with most reporting positive associations between mystical-type experiences and improvements in well-being or mental health. The current level of evidence appeared stronger among healthy people, in cross-sectional studies, and for links with positive changes in general well-being and life satisfaction, attitudes and behavior, and anxiety, than for depression or other aspects of well-being and mental health. A few studies suggested that psychological insights and emotional breakthroughs may be as or more closely associated with positive changes than mystical-type experiences.ConclusionsDespite their significant limitations, the identified studies suggest that mystical-type experiences under psychedelics are associated with improvements in some areas of well-being. However, psychological insights and emotional breakthroughs might be at least as important and should also be measured in future studies.