Search Results (5,975)

Urban wetlands are increasingly recognized for their ecological and cultural benefits, yet remain underutilized due to limited public awareness and environmental literacy. This study investigates how visitors’ perceptions of wetland ecosystem services influence their motivations to engage with a constructed wetland in Putrajaya, Malaysia. By integrating the ecosystem services framework with push-pull motivation theory, the research aims to bridge knowledge gaps and inform sustainable wetland tourism planning. A structured questionnaire was administered to 420 visitors, with 385 valid responses (response rate: 91.7%). Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis, Spearman correlation) and multiple regression analysis. Results show that cultural and regulating services are perceived most positively, while emotional restoration and aesthetic appreciation emerged as key motivational drivers. Regression findings reveal that push factors are stronger predictors of ecosystem service engagement than pull factors. These insights highlight the importance of emotional and psychological connections to nature, offering practical implications for urban wetland management, visitor education and environmental communication strategies. Full article

Modern software solutions have a multiplicative effect on enhancing quality of life across various urban sectors, including the environment, education, public health, security, transportation, time efficiency, employment, and other key aspects of city living. This article addresses a specific issue concerning the organisation of leisure activities for both local residents and tourists, using the Chechen Republic as a case study. In response, the study aimed to develop a digital solution to address this challenge, with potential for integration into the Republic’s unified digital ecosystem. By employing system analysis methods, the authors identified the key objects and stakeholders involved in the problem domain. They also defined the software product’s functionality and classified user categories. Using Unified Modelling Language methods, a use case diagram was developed to illustrate the conceptual operation of the system. Furthermore, object-oriented design methods were applied to create a user interface prototype for the software product. As a result, a digital service was developed that enables users to create personalised leisure routes, taking into account individual goals, time constraints, traffic conditions, and the real-time status of urban infrastructure. The resulting software solution is both customisable and scalable. The article also presents selected examples of project development. Full article

This study suggests a method for analyzing the risk of methane explosions using the N-K model and Social Network Analysis (SNA) to understand how different risk factors related to coal-mine methane explosions are connected and change over time, aiming to prevent these accidents effectively. We identified 41 secondary risk factors and four fundamental risk factors—human, equipment, environment, and management—based on the 4M accident causation theory. The SNA model was utilized to determine the main risk factors and their evolutionary routes, while the N-K model was utilized to quantify the degree of risk coupling. The findings show that the number of risk variables engaged in the methane-explosion risk system closely correlates with the number of accidents that occur and the maximum coupling level among the four elements. The primary control factors in the methane-explosion risk system are poor equipment management, broken safety monitoring and control systems, inadequate safety education and training, safety regulation violations, and poor safety production responsibility system implementation. We utilized the primary evolution paths and key elements to propose risk control approaches. A reference for ensuring safety in coal-mine operations can be found in the research findings. Full article

Objectives: The present cross-sectional analysis aimed to investigate whether Large Language Model-based chatbots can be used as reliable sources of information in orthodontics by evaluating chatbot responses and comparing them to those of dental practitioners with different levels of knowledge. Methods: Eight true and false frequently asked orthodontic questions were submitted to five leading chatbots (ChatGPT-4, Claude-3-Opus, Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental, Microsoft Copilot, and DeepSeek). The consistency of the answers given by chatbots at four different times was assessed using Cronbach’s α. Chi-squared test was used to compare chatbot responses with those given by two groups of clinicians, i.e., general dental practitioners (GDPs) and orthodontic specialists (Os) recruited in an online survey via social media, and differences were considered significant when p < 0.05. Additionally, chatbots were asked to provide a justification for their dichotomous responses using a chain-of-through prompting approach and rating the educational value according to the Global Quality Scale (GQS). Results: A high degree of consistency in answering was found for all analyzed chatbots (α > 0.80). When comparing chatbot answers with GDP and O ones, statistically significant differences were found for almost all the questions (p < 0.05). When evaluating the educational value of chatbot responses, DeepSeek achieved the highest GQS score (median 4.00; interquartile range 0.00), whereas CoPilot had the lowest one (median 2.00; interquartile range 2.00). Conclusions: Although chatbots yield somewhat useful information about orthodontics, they can provide misleading information when dealing with controversial topics. Full article

In alignment with global educational trends, Australia has adopted a pluralistic approach to initial teacher education (ITE), encompassing traditional university-based programs, employment-integrated models and vocational training routes. This diversification of pathways has emerged as a strategic response to persistent workforce challenges, including chronic shortages, uneven distribution of qualified educators, and limited demographic diversity within the profession. Rather than supplanting conventional ITE models, these alternative pathways serve as complementary options, broadening access and enhancing system responsiveness to evolving societal and educational needs. The rise in non-traditional routes represents a deliberate response to the well-documented global teacher shortage, frequently examined in comparative educational research. Central to their design is a restructuring of traditional program elements, particularly duration and delivery methods, to facilitate more flexible and context-sensitive forms of teacher preparation. Such approaches often create opportunities for individuals who may be excluded from conventional pathways due to socioeconomic constraints, geographic isolation, or non-linear career trajectories. Significantly, the diversity introduced by alternative entry candidates has the potential to enrich school learning environments. These educators often bring a wide range of prior experiences, disciplinary knowledge, and cultural perspectives, contributing to more inclusive and representative teaching practices. The implications for student learning are substantial, particularly in disadvantaged communities where culturally and professionally diverse teachers may enhance engagement and academic outcomes. From a policy perspective, the development of flexible, multifaceted teacher education pathways constitutes a critical component of a sustainable workforce strategy. As demand for qualified teachers intensifies, especially in STEM disciplines and in rural, regional and remote areas, the role of alternative pathways is likely to become increasingly pivotal in achieving broader goals of equity, quality and innovation in teacher preparation. Full article

This research investigates topic-based sentiment classification in Greek educational-related data using transformer-based language models. A comparative evaluation is conducted on GreekBERT, XLM-r-Greek, mBERT, and Palobert using three original sentiment-annotated datasets representing parents of students with functional diversity, school directors, and teachers, each capturing diverse educational perspectives. The analysis examines both overall sentiment performance and topic-specific evaluations across four thematic classes: (i) Material and Technical Conditions, (ii) Educational Dimension, (iii) Psychological/Emotional Dimension, and (iv) Learning Difficulties and Emergency Remote Teaching. Results indicate that GreekBERT consistently outperforms other models, achieving the highest overall F1 score (0.91), particularly excelling in negative sentiment detection (F1 = 0.95) and showing robust performance for positive sentiment classification. The Psychological/Emotional Dimension emerged as the most reliably classified category, with GreekBERT and mBERT demonstrating notably high accuracy and F1 scores. Conversely, Learning Difficulties and Emergency Remote Teaching presented significant classification challenges, especially for Palobert. This study contributes significantly to the field of sentiment analysis with Greek-language data by introducing original annotated datasets, pioneering the application of topic-based sentiment analysis within the Greek educational context, and offering a comparative evaluation of transformer models. Additionally, it highlights the superior performance of Greek-pretrained models in capturing emotional detail, and provides empirical evidence of the negative emotional responses toward Emergency Remote Teaching. Full article

This paper presents the development, implementation, and outcomes of the ELEVATE-US-UP (Engaging Learners through Exploration of Visionary Academic Thought and Empowerment in UnderServed and UnderPrivileged communities) teaching methodology, an equity-centered, culturally responsive pedagogical framework designed to enhance student engagement, academic performance, and science identity among underrepresented learners. This framework was piloted at Northern New Mexico College (NNMC), a Hispanic- and minority-serving rural institution. ELEVATE-US-UP reimagines science education as a dynamic, inquiry-driven, and contextually grounded process that embeds visionary scientific themes, community relevance, trauma-informed mentoring, and authentic assessment into everyday instruction. Drawing from culturally sustaining pedagogy, experiential learning, and action teaching, the methodology positions students not as passive recipients of content but as knowledge-holders and civic actors. Implemented across upper-level environmental science courses, the method produced measurable gains: class attendance rose from 67% to 93%, average final grades improved significantly, and over two-thirds of students reported a stronger science identity and a newfound confidence in their academic potential. Qualitative feedback highlighted increased perceptions of classroom inclusivity, community relevance, and instructor support. By centering on cultural context, student voice, and place-based application, the ELEVATE-US-UP framework offers a replicable and scalable model for educational transformation in underserved regions. Full article

This study investigated individuals’ emotional responses to bed bugs and how these were influenced by sex, proximity, and educational intervention. Using a pre-post experimental design, participants (n = 157) completed emotional assessments before and after viewing an educational video about bed bugs. Contrary to our initial hypothesis that only fear and disgust would be observed, participants also exhibited high levels of anxiety and anger. Following the educational intervention, disgust, fear, and anger toward bed bugs increased significantly. Participants experienced greater disgust and fear when imagining encounters with bed bugs in closer proximity, with home infestations giving stronger responses than workplace scenarios. The educational video reduced disgust toward bed bugs in the home but increased fear of them in public spaces, potentially promoting vigilance that could limit bed bug spread. Females reported higher levels of disgust and fear than males across all proximity conditions, supporting evolutionary theories regarding sex-specific disgust sensitivity. The educational video successfully increased participants’ knowledge about bed bugs while simultaneously shifting emotional responses from contamination-based disgust to threat-specific fear. These findings suggest that educational interventions can effectively modify emotional responses to bed bugs, potentially leading to more rational management behaviors by transforming vague anxiety into actionable awareness of specific threats. Full article

Physical challenges such as illness, injury, and disability significantly alter women’s relationships with their bodies, disrupting established notions of functionality and self-worth. This study re-examines the Holistic Model of Positive Body Image and Outdoor Physical Activity through secondary analysis focusing on women with illness, injury, and disability. From the original sample of N = 553 female participants, open-ended survey responses were identified from n = 84 participants (15.2%) who self-disclosed as having illness, injury, or disability to examine how outdoor settings facilitate positive body image. Through reflexive thematic analysis, the study revealed three key mechanisms: (1) personalized redefinition of functionality transcending standardized metrics, (2) therapeutic engagement with natural environments fostering embodied acceptance, and (3) cyclical reinforcement between physical capability and psychological wellbeing. The findings confirm the model’s utility while indicating necessary adaptations to address the fluctuating nature of body functionality. The adapted model emphasizes how outdoor recreational activities create contexts for reimagining body-self relationships across the spectrum of physical experiences—from temporary recovery to ongoing adaptation of persistent conditions—with implications for rehabilitation professionals, outdoor educators, and healthcare providers. Full article

Famed lawyer Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) argued strongly for an early-life public health approach to crime prevention, one that focused on education, poverty reduction, and equity of resources. Due to his defense of marginalized persons and his positions that were often at odds with his legal colleagues and public opinion, he was known as the Big Minority Man. He argued that the assumption of free will—humans as free moral agents—justifies systems of inequity, retributive punishment, and “unadulterated brutality.” Here, the authors revisit Darrow’s views and expand upon them via contemporary research. We examine increasingly louder argumentation—from scholars across multiple disciplines—contending that prescientific notions of willpower, free will, blameworthiness, and moral responsibility, are contributing to social harms. We draw from biopsychosocial perspectives and recent scientific consensus papers calling for the dismantling of folk psychology ideas of willpower and blameworthiness in obesity. We scrutinize how the status quo of the legal system is justified and argue that outdated notions of ‘moral fiber’ need to be addressed at the root. The authors examine recent arguments for one of Darrow’s ideas—a public health quarantine model of public safety and carceral care that considers the ‘causes of the causes’ and risk assessments through a public health lens. In our view, public health needs to vigorously scrutinize the prescientific “normative” underpinnings of the criminal justice system. Full article

Oral tradition stories hold a vital place in language education, offering rich repositories of linguistic, cultural, and historical knowledge. In the Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL) context, their inclusion provides dynamic opportunities to explore diversity, foster critical and creative thinking, and challenge dominant epistemologies. Despite their pedagogical potential, these narratives remain largely absent from formal curricula, with most SFL textbooks still privileging canonical works, particularly those from the Latin American Boom or European literary texts. This article aims to provide practical guidance for SFL instructors on designing effective, culturally responsive materials for the teaching of vocabulary. Drawing on a methodological framework for material design and a cognitive approach to vocabulary learning, I present original pedagogical material based on a Colombian oral tradition story about the witches of La Jagua (Huila, Colombia) to inspire educators to integrate oral tradition stories into their classrooms. As argued throughout, oral narratives not only support vocabulary acquisition and intercultural competence but also offer students meaningful engagement with the values, worldviews, and linguistic diversity that shape Colombian culture. This approach redefines language teaching through a more descriptive, contextualized, and culturally grounded lens, equipping learners with pragmatic, communicative, and intercultural skills essential for the 21st century. My goal with this article is to advocate for teacher agency in material creation, emphasizing that educators are uniquely positioned to design pedagogical resources that reflect their own cultural realities and local knowledge and to adapt them meaningfully to their students’ needs. Full article

Formative research is an essential component of higher education, aimed at developing research competencies in students, with an emphasis on critical thinking, academic autonomy, and analytical capacity. Its purpose is not the production of original knowledge but the systematic preparation for research activity. Within this framework, the objective of this study is to analyze how conceptual appropriation, which encompasses theoretical, methodological, procedural, and normative knowledge, is related to students’ perceived research skills. This study is grounded in the imperative of fostering higher education that cultivates critical, autonomous, and ethically responsible researchers. For this purpose, a quantitative methodology was used, with a non-experimental and correlational design, applying a census sampling to 10,536 students from a higher education institution. Data were collected through a structured survey on conceptual appropriation and perceived research skills. After the removal of inconsistent records, the data were processed statistically using non-parametric tests, particularly Spearman’s correlation, due to the non-normal distribution of the variables. The results reveal strong and significant correlations between conceptual appropriation and key research skills such as hypothesis formulation, critical thinking, and motivation for research, demonstrating that greater conceptual mastery promotes a more solid and engaged research training. These findings reinforce the need to systematically and progressively integrate research content into the university curriculum, fostering an authentic, reflective, and contextualized education. Full article

Children living with chronic diseases represent a great challenge for the health care system, their families, and communities. These young patients face continuous medical needs that affect not only their health but also their daily routines, emotional well-being, and family dynamics. In response, clinical practice is increasingly integrating psychosocial indicators alongside traditional medical parameters. Consequently, there is a growing consensus that the evaluation of pediatric chronic diseases should address not only clinical dimensions but also the disease’s impact on socialization, emotional health, and daily functioning. This narrative review explores the role of psychosocial variables in the management of pediatric chronic illnesses, including the experiences of parents and siblings, with a focus on effective strategies to improve everyday life. The integration of quality of life and well-being within a multidimensional care model could be instrumental in both symptom management and psychosocial support. Recognizing that children with chronic conditions are at increased risk for long-term adverse outcomes, it is critical to develop interventions that go beyond clinical care, encompassing education, coping reinforcement, and family-centered approaches. Full article

This work presents the development of NOVA, an educational virtual assistant designed for the Parallel Computing course, built using a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture combined with Large Language Models (LLMs). The assistant operates entirely in Spanish, supporting native-language learning and increasing accessibility for students in Latin American academic settings. It integrates vector and relational databases to provide an interactive, personalized learning experience that supports the understanding of complex technical concepts. Its core functionalities include the automatic generation of questions and answers, quizzes, and practical guides, all tailored to promote autonomous learning. NOVA was deployed in an academic setting at Universidad Politécnica Salesiana. Its modular architecture includes five components: a relational database for logging, a vector database for semantic retrieval, a FastAPI backend for managing logic, a Next.js frontend for user interaction, and an integration server for workflow automation. The system uses the GPT-4o mini model to generate context-aware, pedagogically aligned responses. To evaluate its effectiveness, a test suite of 100 academic tasks was executed—55 question-and-answer prompts, 25 practical guides, and 20 quizzes. NOVA achieved a 92% excellence rating, a 21-second average response time, and 72% retrieval coverage, confirming its potential as a reliable AI-driven tool for enhancing technical education. Full article

This study examines how beliefs about the causes of climate change relate to emotions, perceptions of its effects, and willingness to engage in collective action among residents of the Valparaíso Region in Chile, a territory particularly vulnerable to this phenomenon. A survey was conducted with 809 individuals using stratified probabilistic sampling. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences among those who attribute climate change to human, mixed, or natural causes. The results show that individuals who believe in the anthropogenic origin of climate change report higher levels of negative emotions, anxiety, perceived impacts, and willingness to participate in both direct and institutional collective actions. Moreover, these individuals perceive greater negative effects of climate change on their surroundings and daily lives. In contrast, those who attribute the phenomenon to natural causes show a lower predisposition to act and a lower risk perception. The study concludes that causal attribution of climate change significantly influences people’s emotional and behavioral responses, highlighting the importance of strengthening climate education and communication based on scientific evidence as key tools for fostering civic engagement in the face of the environmental crisis. The findings contribute to sustainability by strengthening environmental education, participatory governance, and collective action in vulnerable contexts. Full article