Search Results (1,218)

Ideological and political education (IPE) is a cornerstone of higher education in China. As IPE-related book collections expand rapidly, university libraries face a growing challenge of information overload, which hinders the accurate characterization of student reading preferences and the efficient matching of resources to demand. To address these issues, this study proposes GDNN, a practical hybrid recommendation system designed for both warm-start and cold-start scenarios. For warm-start users with historical borrowing records, we develop the PPSM-GCN framework. This framework enhances the classical graph convolutional collaborative filtering model LightGCN by integrating a novel potential positive sample mining (PPSM) strategy, which effectively mitigates data sparsity and improves the modeling of latent interests. For cold-start users without interaction history, we introduce an embedding and MLP architecture. This deep neural network learns implicit reader–book associations from reader attributes and book metadata, enabling personalized recommendations even in the absence of historical data. Experimental results demonstrate that PPSM-GCN and the embedding and MLP method achieve significant performance gains in their respective scenarios. This research provides both technical support and practical insights for the precise delivery of IPE resources and the overall enhancement of educational effectiveness in higher education. Full article

Eva Gore-Booth (1870–1926) was a significant contributor to the Celtic Literary Revival at the turn of the twentieth century; however, her literature differed immensely from that of her male counterparts. Gore-Booth’s writings had a prevailing feminist message, while her later works were manifestly concerned with the study of sexuality and the deconstruction of gender. Gore-Booth’s literature remained vastly overlooked and undervalued until recent times. In the twenty-first century, her poetry and plays are experiencing somewhat of a resurgence. Amid Gore-Booth’s modest literary revival, this article examines her writings from a fresh perspective. Tracing Gore-Booth’s social reform work and later devotion to the New Age religion of Theosophy, it is evident that her writings increasingly endorsed celibacy. This article will highlight how Gore-Booth advocated for celibacy as a radical practice with the potential to dismantle the social construction of gender and of presumed heterosexuality. Notably, Gore-Booth only advocated for heterosexual celibacy, placing same-sex relationships as the ideal, especially lesbian partnerships. This research centers on readings of Gore-Booth’s lesser-known writings including a neglected play Fiametta, her theological writings and the journal Urania which clearly express her revolutionary ideas. Full article

The Continuation Argument, a newly emerging perspective on language acquisition, requires further exploration to deepen our understanding of how continuation-based tasks facilitate foreign language learning. This study examines the use of observable language forms within the integrated pedagogical procedure of the translation continuation task in Chinese as a second language (CSL) learning. Data were collected from 60 learners attending Khmer-Chinese translation classes in Grade 8 at a Chinese school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The findings reveal a consistent pattern of language reuse. (i) Learners demonstrate a significant increase in their reuse of target Chinese language structures (e.g., words, grammar, and discourse knowledge) from the pre-reading materials when completing the translation continuation tasks. (ii) The translation continuation task helps reduce errors and improve the quality of Chinese translations. (iii) Both teachers and students generally recognize the positive impact and pedagogical value of the translation continuation task. The observed “language reuse” is discussed in light of multiple potential mechanisms, such as priming and pedagogically induced imitation. Thus, the translation continuation task proves to be an effective method for guiding learners’ attention to and reuse of target language forms in practical CSL translation teaching. Full article

Long-read sequencing technologies, particularly those developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), have transformed genome sequencing by enabling high-resolution analysis of complex microbial communities. Among ONT devices, the MinION remains affordable and scalable for low-resource settings. However, its limited onboard computing power constrains high-accuracy basecalling and limits its ability to address inherent sequencing errors effectively. To overcome these constraints, we assembled a streamlined in-house workflow that integrates at least five MinION devices with a GPU-powered workstation running Ubuntu 20 and MinKNOW. Rather than a new sequencing platform, this “home-made GridION” represents a practical integration of existing ONT devices with dedicated computing resources. At its core is a live basecalling pipeline capable of handling both FAST5 and POD5 file formats. The system supports high-throughput basecalling using Guppy on FAST5 files as well as Dorado on POD5 files, ensuring compatibility with both legacy and current ONT data standards. File monitoring is automated via inotifywait, enabling immediate detection of new files, real-time basecalling, and organized output of FASTQ batches. Beyond basecalling, we implemented an automated downstream pipeline for metagenomic analysis, enabling taxonomic profiling and detection of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG). Tested on 10 hospital wastewater samples, the workflow generated at least 500,000 reads per sample within six hours, which were analysed for antimicrobial resistance gene abundance. This demonstrates its potential as an open, scalable hardware/software platform that extends the utility of MinION sequencing for microbial genomics in resource-limited environments. The setup can channel as many MinIONs as available USB ports, with a ratio of 1 MK1D for 1 TB of storage capacity on the associated computer. Full article

This study examines how generative AI is adopted and experienced across educational levels in Sonora, Mexico, and whether students’ perceived learning aligns with engagement behaviors during AI-assisted homework. We analyze survey data from 2024–2025 covering 1477 participants (high school and university students and teachers) from public and private institutions, including adoption, perceived learning and time savings, help-seeking preferences (teachers vs. ChatGPT vs. Google), and ethical concerns. To move beyond self-reports alone, we introduce a Learning Engagement Index (LEI; 0–1) based on three student behaviors when using ChatGPT to complete academic tasks: reading AI responses, modifying outputs, and integrating personal ideas. Adoption was widespread but consistently higher in university than in high school for both students and teachers. University students reported slightly higher perceived learning and greater time savings. LEI scores were generally high and higher among university students, indicating more frequent engagement behaviors such as reading and adapting AI outputs rather than copying them. However, perceived learning showed only weak alignment with LEI, suggesting that students’ self-assessments do not consistently track the engagement actions measured by the index. A complementary GitHub Copilot Free (version GPT-4) experiment (n = 16) indicated faster task completion and improved task completeness, while also highlighting the risk of reduced algorithmic reasoning when AI suggestions are used uncritically. Overall, the findings point to the need for pedagogical approaches that emphasize guided use, verification practices, and assessment designs that more directly evidence learning in AI-mediated settings. Full article

This entry presents a conceptual approach for how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to support high school and college students’ reading comprehension of complex texts across disciplines, using the Revised Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI-R), as an organizing framework. Drawing on research in literacy, learning sciences, and educational technology, the entry conceptualizes AI tools as potential metacognitive supports that can assist learners in planning, monitoring, and evaluating reading. At the same time, it distinguishes between AI use that risks promoting cognitive outsourcing, particularly when tools replace rather than support readers’ active regulation of meaning-making. The entry emphasizes the importance of instructional design and teacher mediation in aligning AI-supported reading practices with established models of metacognitive strategy use. Central to this discourse is the distinction between cognitive scaffolding, using AI to support and extend students’ strategic engagement within their zone of proximal development, and cognitive outsourcing, using AI to bypass cognitive effort entirely, thereby undermining active meaning-making. A distinctive feature of this entry is its use of MARSI-R not only as an assessment instrument but also as a design heuristic for structuring AI-supported reading interactions. By mapping AI affordances onto MARSI-R’s three strategy dimensions, the entry provides a conceptual bridge between established metacognitive theory and the practical design of AI-enhanced reading environments. This framing distinguishes the present contribution from prior work that treats AI tools and metacognitive frameworks as separate domains. Using MARSI-R’s dimensions of Global, Problem-Solving, and Support reading strategies, this entry describes how AI may provide personalized prompts and feedback that encourage strategic engagement with texts in STEM, the humanities, and social sciences. Illustrative classroom examples and research findings are used to highlight AI’s potential to support students in becoming “architects of their own understanding,” while also addressing ethical considerations such as overreliance on automated summaries and data privacy concerns. This entry offers a practical and theoretically grounded roadmap for integrating AI to support thoughtful, reflective reading across disciplines. Full article

Here we discuss three veterinary alphaherpesviruses—pseudorabies virus, equid alphaherpesvirus 1, and bovine alphaherpesvirus 1—that were instrumental in uncovering the true extent of transcriptome complexity through long-read RNA sequencing, which earlier short-read approaches could not resolve. We focus on three major transcriptomic features whose discovery and characterization relied heavily on these viral models: (i) widespread transcriptional overlaps that complicate read assignment and may drive transcriptional interference; (ii) diverse transcript isoforms arising from alternative 5′ and 3′ transcript termini, as well as splicing; and (iii) non-coding RNAs clustered near replication origins that illuminate potential replication–transcription interactions on a shared nuclear template. Long-read viromics in these veterinary systems has additionally served as a stringent benchmark for transcript callers and annotation pipelines, because the extreme density of overlaps and co-terminal transcript families exposes errors that often go unnoticed in typical mammalian transcriptomes. This has made veterinary herpesvirus datasets disproportionately influential in shaping best practices for full-length isoform calling, transcript end mapping, and artifact-robust cDNA library handling. We also discuss animal gammaherpesviruses as proxies for human gammaherpesviruses, allowing experimental investigation of viral programs difficult to study in human infection. Finally, we describe pseudorabies virus applications as a retrograde transneuronal tracer. Full article

Early identification of reading difficulties enables timely classroom intervention; however, teachers often have limited time and restricted access to specialist assessment. This study explores a brief, teacher-friendly screening approach based on short oral reading recordings to support classroom decision-making. Oral reading samples were collected from 77 Greek primary school pupils (Grades 3–6) during a standardized reading task. Recordings were segmented into 7 s excerpts, converted into spectrogram images, and analyzed using a deep learning model to classify each excerpt as indicative of reading difficulties or not. To reflect realistic school implementation, model development followed an 80/20 participant-level split, with validation conducted on pupils not included in the training set. At the selected operating threshold, the model achieved approximately 84% overall accuracy and a balanced accuracy of 0.85. For practical applicability, a pupil-level indicator—representing the proportion of excerpts flagged as difficult—showed a strong association with expert judgments (r ≈ 0.74). These findings suggest that brief oral reading recordings can provide teachers with an interpretable screening signal to inform monitoring, prioritization, and early classroom support while underscoring the need for further validation under routine school conditions. Full article

UNESCO’s 2030 Agenda recognises education as a strategic pillar for sustainability, underlining the fundamental role that educational institutions need to play in equipping students with theoretical and practical skills geared towards developing best practices in today’s media ecosystem. However, recent technological transformations have not only failed to guarantee the responsible use of media but have also highlighted new challenges that need to be addressed from a media literacy perspective. This paper proposes a methodology that, applied in the fourth and final year of a journalism degree course, is based on relating the filmography of Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne to news content through transmedia strategies. This methodology, employing a tool called Transmedia Quest, aims to foster students’ application of critical reading of reality that leads to an awareness of threats in terms of inequality and the lack of guarantees for fundamental rights. Several conclusions can be drawn from the results, which not only help to understand the tool’s usefulness in this specific study, but also highlight the opportunities it offers for its use in future projects that incorporate similar content, approaches, and methods, in line with both transmedia strategies and the Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

Soymilk solid content (%) is a critical quality indicator that is directly related to product classification and regulatory compliance in food manufacturing. However, conventional optical refractometer-based measurements often suffer from blurred scale boundaries and subjective reading errors, leading to poor reproducibility under varying illumination conditions. This study proposes an image-based signal analysis framework that quantitatively interprets blurred liquid-scale boundaries by analyzing pixel intensity profiles, their gradients, and effective boundary widths. Instead of relying on human visual judgment, the proposed method characterizes boundary uncertainty using Gaussian-smoothed intensity signals and derivative-based feature extraction. Quantitative validation against ground-truth concentration values over 150 images demonstrates an overall mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.90 and a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 3.85. Illumination conditions yielding stable, single-peak derivative responses achieve an overall MAE of 0.23, whereas severe illumination conditions associated with unstable or distorted derivative patterns result in substantially higher errors (MAE = 8.57, RMSE = 8.60). These results quantitatively confirm that derivative-based boundary signal stability is directly linked to measurement accuracy. By transforming visual ambiguity into quantifiable signal features, this work provides a practical and reproducible alternative to subjective refractometer readings and offers a foundation for reliability-aware optical concentration measurement systems in industrial environments. Full article

This study examines Italian adolescents’ willingness to use electronic devices rather than printed paper for reading and writing activities, a behavioural choice that differs from more conventional pro-environmental actions due to its implications for learning and well-being. We design an online vignette experiment with two informational conditions: an individual-impact and a social-impact treatment. Socially framed information is associated with a higher propensity to prefer digital tools relative to individual framing, although overall treatment effects are modest. Stronger treatment responsiveness emerges only when students reflect on avoidable printing practices. Preferences are primarily shaped by socio-demographic factors, particularly gender, educational background, and health and environmental attitudes. Paper is valued for its perceived benefits to reasoning, memory, and reading enjoyment, while digital tools are favoured for their ease of writing and editing. Even if not fully generalizable, our findings highlight the atypical nature of a paper–digital trade-off: when consumption choices involve cognitive or identity-related considerations, sustainability-based messages alone may be insufficient. Full article

This article argues that John Calvin’s account of the church in Institutes of the Christian Religion IV is best read through the formative logic of worship. Calvin famously identifies preaching the Word and administering the sacraments as the marks of the visible church. Rather than regarding these marks merely as identifiers, this study interprets them as worship practices that shape Christian life “in-between” church and society. First, the preached Word is not simply received as information but functions as the medium through which faith is generated and sustained, forming a community tasked to bear truth publicly. Second, the sacraments operate as embodied theology: baptism initiates believers into ecclesial belonging through cleansing, renewal, and confession, while the Lord’s Supper repeatedly schools the church in remembrance, thanksgiving, unity, and mutual love. Finally, by situating the Word and sacrament within the church’s maternal nurture and the ministry of reconciliation, the article shows how worship extends beyond the sanctuary, cultivating conscience and communal practices oriented toward public peace and responsibility. In Calvin’s Reformation vision, worship is thus the hinge that links ecclesiology to social ethics without collapsing the distinction between the church and civil society. Full article

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are among the most successful technologies for point-of-care and at-home testing, but further advances are needed to reduce costs and accelerate development. Alpaca-derived nanobodies (Nbs), single-domain antibody fragments, are promising immunoassay reagents across diverse applications. Their small size and ease of recombinant production make them particularly well suited for diagnostics. Here, we present a paper-based LFA targeting the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein that exclusively uses Nbs for direct antigen detection. We also demonstrate in-house synthesis of Nb-coated gold nanoparticles, enabling instrument-free visual readout and detection of N protein down to 40 ng/mL. This design avoids components that require mammalian cell culture and can be produced entirely from in-house reagents, simplifying manufacturing and lowering component costs. Because the assay is read visually without an external reader, it is well suited for deployment in resource-limited settings. Together, these results highlight the speed and practicality of developing Nb-based LFAs and suggest a broadly applicable strategy for detecting other clinically important disease biomarkers. Full article

This study examines the possible points of connection between crime and reading on the basis of genre-typical roles and motifs in detective fiction. I aim to identify characteristic reading methods, strategies, locations, events, and professions with regard to the detective, the perpetrator and the victim. Following a general introduction with a focus on genre theory and thematic concerns, I proceed with an analysis of P. D. James’s crime novel Original Sin. This novel not only offers the posing and solving of a criminal puzzle, but also reflects powerfully on moral questions about sin, original sin and violent death. In my analysis, I follow the method of close reading, and as part of this approach, I also explore traces of biblical intertextuality. As a result of theoretical reflection and interpretation, I draw two important conclusions: (1) For investigators, reading texts constitutes an effective and indispensable instrument for reconstructing the past, thus uncovering the truth and revealing the perpetrator. (2) The reading events depicted in the novel refer to experiences and conceptual connections that justify discussing a kind of theology of reading: reading appears in the story as an intellectual activity that forms part of certain religious practices (penance, prayer, confession). Full article

Drawing on two indigenous chicken breeds that have adapted for centuries to the hyper-arid Tarim Basin, namely the Baicheng You Chicken and Hotan Black Chicken, this study provides a high-resolution map of their gut microbiota across the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and cecum and subsequently isolates putative probiotic strains from cecal contents using conventional culture techniques. In the duodenum, Lactobacillus dominated Hotan Black Chicken (43.16%), whereas Ligilactobacillus prevailed in Baicheng You Chicken (37.03%). This segregation persisted in the jejunum, with Lactobacillus accounting for 62.55% of Hotan Black Chicken reads and Ligilactobacillus accounting for 60.76% reads in Baicheng You Chicken. The ileal core of Hotan Black Chicken remained Lactobacillus (50.63%), while Baicheng You Chicken shifted to Enterococcus (32.37%). In the cecum, both breeds converged on the Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group as the single dominant lineage (Hotan Black Chicken, 46.87%; Baicheng You Chicken, 46.23%). At the genus level, Hotan Black Chicken was enriched in Lactobacillus and Ligilactobacillus, whereas Baicheng You Chicken harbored a greater proportion of Enterococcus. Concurrently, eight strains with in vitro probiotic attributes were isolated, four from each breed, identified as Ligilactobacillus salivarius, Limosilactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus gallinarum, Enterococcus lactis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus velezensis. This study deciphers the intestinal microbiome of two native Tarim Basin chicken breeds, Hotan Black Chicken and Baicheng You Chicken, and mines them for autochthonous probiotic strains. The obtained dataset has established a foundational resource for poultry-related probiotics adapted to extremely arid environments, providing theoretical insights and practical value for poultry nutritionists in water-scarce regions in the future. Full article