Search Results (70)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is estimated to affect about 1% of children globally. While there is currently no cure, early detection and targeted interventions can significantly enhance the well-being and daily functioning of children with ASD. This paper presents an intelligent, content-based recommender system designed to suggest personalized activities aligned with each child’s preferences and developmental needs. The proposed system integrates social stories, educational videos, and interactive exercises supported by machine learning techniques to foster communication, social interaction, emotional regulation, and cognitive development—while reducing the need for constant parental supervision. Unlike traditional content-based systems, our approach incorporates the child’s emotional state (mood) to provide more diverse and context-aware recommendations, avoiding the filter bubble effect and enhancing personalization and engagement. A key contribution of this work lies in its focus on personalized and interactive learning experiences, made possible through the combination of multiple assistive technologies. Additionally, the study addresses the problem of data scarcity by providing a publicly available dataset to facilitate further research in ASD-focused intelligent systems. Preliminary feedback from therapists and parents indicates that the system holds strong potential to substantially improve the educational, communicative, and emotional skills of children with ASD. These promising results motivate future large-scale empirical evaluations to validate its effectiveness and establish it as a valuable tool for ASD intervention and inclusive education. Full article

The occurrence of filter bubbles and echo chambers in social media recommendation systems poses a significant threat to information diversity and democratic discourse. Although graph neural networks (GNNs) achieve leading accuracy in user recommendation, their optimization for engagement metrics inadvertently reinforces homophily, creating isolated information ecosystems. This research developed community-aware two-stage diversification with GNNs (CATD-GNN), a method that leverages the inherent community structure of social networks to promote diversity without sacrificing recommendation quality. CATD-GNN integrates community detection with GNN learning through a two-stage diversification process. The proposed method employs the Louvain method to identify community structures as pseudo-categories, then applies submodular neighbor selection and community-based loss reweighting during GNN training (Stage 1), followed by coverage and redundancy-aware reranking (Stage 2). Twitter data capturing Black Lives Matter discourse and Reddit political discussion networks were used to evaluate the method. CATD-GNN achieves improvements in diversity metrics while maintaining competitive accuracy. The two-stage architecture demonstrates a synergistic effect: the combination of diversity-aware training and coverage-based reranking produces greater improvements than either component alone. The proposed method successfully identifies and recommends users from different communities while preserving recommendation relevance. Full article

Digital well-being refers to the subjective balance between the benefits and drawbacks of technological connectivity. Although it is a relatively recent construct, research has shown that it can be measured reliably. The Digital Well-Being Scale, comprising three dimensions—Digital Satisfaction, Digital Wellness, and Safe and Responsible Behavior—has been validated in other countries, but not yet in Argentina. This study aimed to adapt and validate the scale in the Argentine context and to examine its associations with Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and identity bubbles, two variables previously linked to digital experiences. A total of 895 participants (55.2% women; aged 18–65) completed an online survey including the Digital Well-Being Scale, the FoMO Scale, and the Identity Bubble Reinforcement Scale (IBRS-9). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the original three-factor structure, and all dimensions showed an adequate internal consistency. A significant negative correlation was found between FoMO and the Digital Wellness dimension, suggesting that individuals with higher FoMO experience lower emotional balance in their digital lives. In contrast, associations between identity bubble dimensions and digital well-being were modest and selective. Only Digital Satisfaction and Digital Wellness were weakly related to social identification and homophily; no relationship was observed with safe digital behavior. These findings support the adapted scale’s psychometric soundness in the Argentine context and provide initial insights into how FoMO and digital identity processes may influence digital well-being. Further research is needed to explore these relationships in more diverse populations and cultural contexts. Full article

Background/Aim: Social networks have transformed the traditional dynamics of identity construction in adolescence, allowing users to select content and interact with others who share similar views, thereby reinforcing a sense of belonging to homogeneous groups. Given the growing influence of digital interaction on social identity among youth, psychometrically sound instruments are needed to measure this process. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of both the 9-item (IBRS-9) and 6-item (IBRS-6) versions of the Identity Bubble Reinforcement Scale in a large sample of Chilean adolescent students. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used with 4096 participants (50.8% male, 47.8% female, 1.4% other; M = 15.82, SD = 1.30) from 41 secondary schools across Chile. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) tested factorial validity, and internal consistency and external criterion validity were examined. Measurement invariance was assessed across sex, social media use, internet use, and age. Analyses were conducted using the WLSMV (Weighted Least Squares Mean and Variance Adjusted), and model evaluation was based on conventional goodness-of-fit indices. Results: CFAs supported the factorial validity of both IBRS versions, showing reliability and external criterion validity. Model fit indices indicated good fit for both scales. Invariance analyses confirmed factorial stability up to the strict level across all subgroups, indicating consistent psychometric performance. Conclusions: The IBRS-9 and IBRS-6 are valid and reliable instruments for assessing identity bubble reinforcement among Chilean adolescents, providing evidence of factorial stability and applicability for research and educational and psychosocial interventions. Their validated structure provides a consistent basis for examining social identity processes related to digital interaction. Full article

This systematic review synthesizes a decade of peer-reviewed research (2015–2025) examining the interplay of filter bubbles, echo chambers, and algorithmic bias in shaping youth engagement within social media. A total of 30 studies were analyzed, using the PRISMA 2020 framework, encompassing computational audits, simulation modeling, surveys, ethnographic accounts, and mixed-methods designs across diverse platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, and Weibo. Results reveal three consistent patterns: (i) algorithmic systems structurally amplify ideological homogeneity, reinforcing selective exposure and limiting viewpoint diversity; (ii) youth demonstrate partial awareness and adaptive strategies to navigate algorithmic feeds, though their agency is constrained by opaque recommender systems and uneven digital literacy; and (iii) echo chambers not only foster ideological polarization but also serve as spaces for identity reinforcement and cultural belonging. Despite these insights, the evidence base suffers from geographic bias toward Western contexts, limited longitudinal research, methodological fragmentation, and conceptual ambiguity in key definitions. This review highlights the need for integrative, cross-cultural, and youth-centered approaches that bridge empirical evidence with lived experiences. Full article

The year 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, a crisis that profoundly disrupted secondary schools in England and intensified existing inequalities, including those experienced by LGBTQ+ students. Through an analysis of teacher interviews and the lens of intimate citizenship, this article explores how pandemic-driven changes, such as remote learning, school closures, and ‘social bubbles’, exposed the precariousness of LGBTQ+ inclusion and embodiment within educational institutions. The research highlights how cisheteronormativity was sustained through symbolic institutional compliance and cisheteronormative fragility, as LGBTQ+ inclusion was deprioritised through the erasure of safe spaces and restrictions on self-expression. While previous research has primarily focused on students’ well-being, this article centres the perspectives of teachers to consider what can be learned from their experiences to better support students in future crises. The pandemic revealed critical gaps in inclusion efforts, underscoring the urgent need for proactive strategies that extend beyond individual teacher initiatives or informal, hidden curriculum practices. The findings emphasise that LGBTQ+ visibility and inclusion must be structurally embedded within curricula, school policies, and teacher training and that the emotional and relational labour of inclusion must be institutionally recognised rather than left to individual educators. Full article

Scouring is an erosional process driven by the water motion over a sediment bed. Scour can lead to structural safety risks of built structures and to riverbanks’ instabilities and collapse. In particular, scouring in river bends is a known phenomenon caused by secondary flow currents. This scouring can result in negative impacts on the economic and social activities that occur on the riverbanks. On the other hand, the erosion and scouring processes of riverbeds are often addressed by means of heavy civil engineering construction works. Aiming at looking for different solutions for the scour in river bends, this research investigates the use of an air bubble screen system to minimize the scouring in river bends by providing detailed measurements of sedimentation patterns and velocity fields in a mild 90-degree bend where an air screen bubble was installed. The air bubble screen is generated by injecting compressed air through a perforated pipe placed on the bed along the outer bend. Different parameters were tested, including the water flow rate in the channel, the air flow rate, the angle of attack between the air bubble screen and the secondary flow, and flow direction. The air bubble screen opposes the direction of the bend’s induced secondary flows, altering the velocity pattern such that the maximum velocity at cross-sections of 45°, 65°, 80°, and 90° were displaced from the outer wall as much as 53%, 68%, 89%, and 84% of the width, respectively. The air bubble screen system also reduced the secondary flow power in the maximum scour zone by 35%. Hence, the maximum scour depth was reduced by 59% to 79.8% for the maximum flow rate by increasing the air bubbles’ angle of attack relative to the primary flow from 0° to 90°. Finally, the limitations of this study and its applicability to real cases is discussed. Full article

Cancer during adolescence and young adulthood (AYA; 18–39 years) can disrupt age-related milestones and impair social functioning. Many AYA patients report unmet social support needs and relationship changes, leading to isolation. This mixed-methods study explores social challenges among AYA patients actively seeking support through a communication tool, the ‘AYA Match app’, supporting communication with loved ones. Upon downloading the app, participants completed questionnaires on social support (MOS-SSS) and social functioning (EORTC CAT) and open-ended questions about social challenges. Eligibility included a first cancer diagnosis at AYA age and fluency in Dutch. The findings show that cancer negatively affected AYA patients’ social functioning. Physical limitations and difficulty relating to peers caused isolation and feelings of loneliness. Some preferred solitude or withheld emotions to protect loved ones. Challenges included forming new relationships, feeling left behind as peers reach milestones, and struggling with a changed life perspective. Participants with children reported less social support. This study highlights the complex social challenges AYA cancer patients face. While support from loved ones is crucial, it may not always be effective. Personalized interventions like peer support, improved family communication, and tailored digital tools are needed to improve social well-being and quality of life in AYAs with cancer. Full article

This paper critically examines the risks to democratic institutions and practices posed by disinformation, echo chambers, and filter bubbles within contemporary social media environments. Adopting a modern republican approach and its conception of liberty as nondomination, this paper analyzes the role of algorithms, which curate and shape user experiences, in facilitating these challenges. My argument is that the proliferation of disinformation, echo chambers, and filter bubbles constitutes forms of domination that manipulate vulnerable social media users and imperil democratic ideals and institutions. To counter these risks, I argue for a three-pronged response that cultivates robust institutional and individual forms of antipower by regulating platforms to help protect users from arbitrary interference and empower them to fight back against domination. Full article

Industrial production today increasingly prioritizes sustainability, emphasizing not only efficiency but also minimizing environmental and social impacts. Quality control is key in steel production. The continuous casting process is crucial, as early defect detection can lower costs and prevent unnecessary material use, thereby conserving energy and raw materials. Eliminating defects early reduces the need for costly reworking, saving resources and reducing equipment wear. Additionally, this defect prevention supports efficiency in later steps, like rolling, benefiting overall energy and material consumption. During this research, we identified several parameters whose influence we analyzed on the surface quality of deep-drawn steel. The research confirmed that, for example, the casting speed has a significant influence on the occurrence of surface defects, while, for example, the final bubbling had no statistically significant effect on the surface quality. From a sustainability perspective, monitoring and optimizing key production parameters, like the casting speed, is essential, as improper speeds can cause surface defects that risk the functionality of the final products. By optimizing these parameters, it is possible not only to reduce the risk of product failure but also to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the entire production process, reducing waste and fostering a more considerate approach to natural resources. Full article

Attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing has grown in recent years. Even after the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) global pandemic, there has been a rise in financial instruments that are structured according to certain prescribed “sustainable finance” objectives. From a risk management perspective, and as we continue to see a rise in inflows into such instruments, it is important to appreciate that ESG markets will have a growing influence on our financial system and its development. In light of this, and using a sample of some of the most common and popular US-based ESG index funds, this study explores the extent to which herding behaviors are present in such markets. From a regulatory point of view, such behaviors are important to identify, given that they can lead to excess price volatility, bubbles, and other such market-destabilizing phenomena. In addition, this study builds a framework for exploring whether Twitter-based economic uncertainty, which is arguably a forward-looking indicator of investors’ expectations, can exacerbate herding behaviors in ESG markets. Overall, this study shows the following: (i) herding behaviors are present in ESG markets; (ii) rises in Twitter economic uncertainty can potentially exacerbate such herding; (iii) although ESG funds, like traditional asset classes, generally show a negative risk–return tradeoff, this can be driven by changes in Twitter economic uncertainty. Full article

Greenflation or inflation for green energy transition in Europe becomes a structural problem of new scarcity and poverty, under Austrian Economics analysis. The current European public agenda on the Green Deal and its fiscal and monetary policies are closer to coercive central planning, against the markets, economic calculus, and Mises’ theorem. In this paper, attention is paid to the green financial bubble and the European greenflation paradox: in order to achieve greater future social welfare, due to a looming climate risk, present wellbeing and wealth is being reduced, causing a real and ongoing risk of social impoverishment (to promote the SGD 13 on climate action, it is violated by SGD 1–3 on poverty and hunger and 7–12 on affordable energy, economic growth, sustainable communities, and production). According to the European Union data, the relations are explained between green transition and public policies (emissions, tax, debt, credit boom, etc.), GDP variations (real–nominal), and the increase of inflation and poverty. As many emissions are reduced, there is a decrease of GDP (once deflated) and GDP per capita, evidencing social deflation, which in turn means more widespread poverty and a reduction of the middle-class. Also, there is a risk of a green-bubble, as in the Great Recession of 2008 (but this time supported by the European Union) and possible stagflation (close to the 1970s). To analyze this problem generated by mainstream economics (econometric and normative interventionism), this research offers theoretical and methodological frameworks of mainline economics (positive explanations based on principles and empirical illustrations for complex social phenomena), especially the Austrian Economics and the New-Institutional Schools (Law and Economics, Public Choice, and Comparative Constitutional Economics). Full article

Clusters of youth suicide and death are tragic for communities and present long-term consequences for the surviving youths. Despite an awareness of community-based patterns in youth suicide, our understanding of the social and community factors behind these events remains poor. While links between poverty and suicide have been well documented, wealthy communities are rarely targeted in suicide research. In response to this gap, we conducted ethnographic research in a wealthy U.S. town that, over a recent 10-year period, witnessed at least four youth suicides and seven more youth accidental deaths. Our interviews (n = 30) explored community values and stressors, interpersonal relationships, and high school experiences on participant perceptions of community deaths. Youth participants characterize their affluent community as having (1) perfectionist standards; (2) permissive and sometimes absent parents; (3) socially competitive and superficial relationships; and (4) a “bubble” that is protective but also exclusionary. Our qualitative findings reveal network influence in teen suicides and accidental deaths in a wealthy community. Greater attention paid to the negative effects of subcultural values and stressors in affluent communities is warranted. Further, our work promotes the value of ethnographic, community-based methodologies for suicidology and treatment. Full article

This paper argues that interreligious dialogue through study and friendships across the religious divide makes participants less susceptible to religious and cultural misinformation that is often used to maintain social bubbles, in which members draw clear boundaries between “us” and “them”. Differences between social groups can culminate in a struggle between “good” and “evil” that can escalate into tension and violence. Preventing tensions and conflicts requires respect for differences, willingness to engage in dialogue, and a sound understanding of what religion is and the historical processes that have determined its development, distinguishing between empirical facts and images to which believers adhere. Because the author is a Dutch sociologist turned journalist from a conservative Christian family involved in interreligious dialogue in the Netherlands, Israel, and Egypt, the literature review presents contemporary religious developments in all three countries. The literature review is flanked by the author’s personal narrative on the events that changed his views on truth and spirituality, making him more aware of the commonalities between peoples of different beliefs and leading him to a lifelong commitment to interreligious and intercultural dialogue. Full article

Born into a pieds-noir family in Algeria in the first part of the 20th century, Pierre Claverie (1938–1996) realizes that he lived in a colonial bubble, completely ignoring the Algerian and Muslim realities. This “prise de conscience” will constitute the beginning of a deep mystical experience, a true process of “spiritual enlightenment” through which Claverie will try to re-establish himself in the lost meeting of his youth when he used to live in his “Western and Catholic bubble”. His theological path will also be an institutional one: he will become a Dominican monk and Catholic bishop of Orano. Inevitably, his desire to spiritually encounter the Algerian reality in its Muslim identity will make Pierre Claverie reflect on the tension present in the paradox of the concept of religious truth (absolutely unique and/or multiple?). His reflection on the uniqueness/pluralism of religious truth represents a model of post-conciliar theological understanding that is worth examining and that supports a very current approach in today’s religious and social world: understanding/accepting the truth of the other without the impression of betraying one’s own truth. This study aims to deepen the mystical theological reflection of Bishop Pierre Claverie, considered a martyr in the Catholic Church, with regards to the concept of religious truth. It also to tries to understand how this reflection fits into the Catholic theological line inaugurated by the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). Full article