Search Results (1,501)

Reflection skills are a key but challenging element in teacher training. Feedback on reflective writing assignments can improve reflection skills, but it is affected by challenges (high variability in judgments and time investment). AI-generated feedback offers many options. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the potential of AI-generated feedback compared to that provided by lecturers for developing reflective skills. A total of 93 randomly selected pre-service teachers (70% female) in a course at a German university wrote two reflections and received feedback from either lecturers or ChatGPT 4.0 based on the same prompts. Pre-service teachers’ written reflections were assessed, and an online questionnaire based on standard instruments was applied. Control variables included metacognitive learning strategies and reflection-related dispositions. Based on a linear mixed model, the main effects on reflective skills were identified for time ($\widehat{\beta }$ = 0.41, p = 0.003) and feedback condition ($\widehat{\beta }$ = −0.42, p = 0.032). Both forms of feedback similarly fostered reflective skills over time, with academic self-efficacy emerging as a pertinent disposition ($\widehat{\beta }$ = 0.25, p = 0.014). The limitations of this study and implications for teacher training are discussed. Full article

The search for bioactive compounds against chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes
includes curcuminoids as promising scaffolds. Here, we report the synthesis of a family
of curcuminoid analogue compounds with an extended unsaturated central chain, as follows:
difluoroboron complex 1, the enolised curcuminoid 2, and its homoleptic copper
complex 3, in moderate to good yields (68–90%). Additionally, their β-cyclodextrin (BCD)
association complexes, 4 and 5, were prepared through a mechanochemical method and
characterised by spectroscopic techniques. Complete ¹H and ¹³C NMR assignments and
NOESY correlations revealed unique solvent effects on the conformational disposition of
compound 2, while the copper complex 3 displayed the highest extinction coefficient (1.20
× 10⁵ M⁻¹·cm⁻¹). Furthermore, the authentication of the polymorph of 1 and the new crystal
structures of 2 and 3, determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis, were highlighted. Although
the copper complex 3 initially exhibited the lowest a-glucosidase inhibitory activity
(IC₅₀ > 100 μM), it showed a significant increase (IC₅₀ = 36.27 μM) upon association with
BCD, reaching values comparable to the free ligand (IC₅₀ = 45.63 μM). Compounds 1–5
were non-toxic to healthy cells (COS-7), but compound 5 stands out as a promising candidate
against this metabolic condition. Full article

Fostering mathematical thinking, communication, and creativity has become a central goal in mathematics education as these competencies are strongly linked to flexible problem solving and innovative engagement. Prior research has shown that students’ beliefs and dispositions play a crucial role in shaping their learning, strategy use, and persistence, yet limited evidence exists on how these constructs interrelate among pre-service elementary mathematics teachers. Addressing this gap, the present study examines the relationships among mathematical thinking perceptions, mathematical communication dispositions, and creative thinking dispositions. A correlational survey design was employed to test a hypothetical model developed within the framework of structural equation modeling (SEM). Data were collected from 615 pre-service teachers. Analyses involved descriptive statistics, correlations, and predictive algorithms via IBM SPSS Statistics 24, along with standardized regression coefficients and fit indices using AMOS. The results revealed that while perceptions of problem-solving and higher-order thinking predicted creative thinking dispositions both directly and indirectly, perceptions of reasoning did so only indirectly through mathematical communication. Mathematical communication dispositions had the strongest direct effect on creative thinking dispositions, underscoring their mediating role. These findings highlight the importance of fostering communication alongside creativity in teacher education, thereby equipping future teachers to promote creative thinking through cognitive, social, and representational processes. Full article

Drug-induced autoimmune hepatitis (DIAIH) is a rare and complex disorder caused by drugs that are commonly metabolized by hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP) pathways. Whereas DIAIH presents generally with a single clinical flare, in rare cases its clinical course shows two different, consecutively emerging flares. The aim of this report was to analyze details of this rare but interesting phenomenon and to help improve appropriate causality evaluation in patients with suspected iDILI or DIAIH to provide better insight into the pathomechanistic steps leading the diseases. A clinical course with two flares was found in a DIAIH patient treated with varenicline, a smoking cessation drug, and in another patient experiencing DIAIH following intravenous application of infliximab used to treat ankylosing spondylitis. In both patients, the first flare was determined as a typical liver injury with increased serum activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and normal titers of serum autoimmune parameters, classified as an acute liver injury analogous to idiosyncratic DILI (iDILI), with verified causality using a modified version of RUCAM (Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method). After an interval of around two months from the cessation of varenicline use, the second flare emerged, as evidenced by increased serum ALT values now associated with newly increased serum autoimmune titers of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), classifying this flare as hepatic autoimmune injury with verified causality for varenicline using the simplified autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) score. A similar clinical DIAIH course of a continuous disease with two flares was described for the second patient, who received infliximab and experienced an interval of one month between the first and second flare. Interestingly to note, neither varenicline nor infliximab is degraded via a CYP pathway, and the metabolic disposition of both drugs is low. In sum, DIAIH can develop with two consecutive flares caused by two drugs not metabolized by CYPs and with slow drug disposition, raising the question of whether this phenomenon of two flares can occur in additional cases of DIAIH due to other drugs metabolized by CYPs or non-CYPs, a question to be resolved by DILI experts in future cases of iDILI and DIAIH. Full article

For this article, we reviewed and synthesized narratological theories on reliability and unreliability and used them as the basis for an exploratory study, examining how real readers respond to a literary short story that contains several unreliable or conflicting narrative accounts. The story we selected is “In a Grove” by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (orig. 藪の中/Yabu no naka) from 1922 in the English translation by Jay Rubin from 2007. To investigate how readers evaluate trustworthiness in narrative contexts, we combined quantitative and qualitative methods. We analyzed correlations between reading habits (i.e., Author Recognition Test), cognitive traits (e.g., Need for Cognition; Epistemic Trust), and trust attributions to characters while also examining how narrative sequencing and character-specific reasons for (dis)trust shaped participants’ judgments. This mixed-methods approach allows us to situate narrative trust as a context-sensitive, interpretive process rather than a stable individual disposition. Full article

Initial teacher education is an important contributor to teacher retention through teachers’ identity and their resilience in teaching. Relationships are key elements of teachers’ resilience and identity formation. During teacher education, professional learning communities can build these relationships and dispositions that support pre-service teachers’ persistence during challenges they encounter professionally and as students during their teacher education program. While previous research has shown the value of learning communities in professional experience in teacher education, the effects of a learning community approach to the delivery of an entire teacher education program has not previously been examined. A professional learning community approach to delivery of a postgraduate initial teacher education program was designed and has been implemented at regional campuses of an Australian university since 2018. This interpretivist study evaluated the contribution of the program to pre-service teachers’ personal resources for their professional lives as teachers. Focus groups were held with all students enrolled in the regional program in 2018 and 2021, and self-selected alumni of the program in 2022, as well as four teacher educators involved in delivering the regional program in 2021 and 2022. A thematic approach was employed to analyze the transcripts. The professional learning communities built a number of resources for teaching, including relational resilience in the form of strong relationships that offered support during the program, teacher education student engagement, and teacher identity. In the process, the learners obtained skills and dispositions that would equip them to continue to work in professional learning communities during their teaching careers. The findings highlight the importance of relationships in teacher education and have implications for the design of initial teacher education programs for teacher retention. Full article

Digital wellbeing has been the subject of extensive research in educational contexts. Yet, there remains a paucity of studies conducted within the paradigm of generative AI, a field with the potential to significantly influence students’ sentiments and dispositions in this domain. This study analyses 474 student recommendations (information science and library science) for digital wellbeing in generative artificial intelligence. The research is based on the context of pragmatism, which rejects the differentiation between thinking and acting and ties both phenomena into one interpretive whole. The research method is thematic analysis; students proposed rules for digital wellbeing in the context of generative AI, which was followed by the established theory. The study has identified four specific areas that need to be the focus of research attention: societal expectations of the positive benefits of using generative AI, particular ways of interacting with generative AI, its risks, and students’ adaptive strategies. Research has shown that risks in this context must be considered part of the elements that make up the environment in which students seek to achieve balance through adaptive strategies. The key adaptive elements included the ability to think critically and creatively, autonomy, care for others, take responsibility, and the reflected ontological difference between humans and machines. Full article

Early childhood educators are integral to shaping the knowledge, values, skills, and behaviors of young children, which in turn contribute to a more sustainable future. This qualitative evaluation reports on a three-year community of practice of 15 early educators focusing on land-based pedagogy in early education for sustainability contexts. Findings suggest participation influenced educators’ dispositions, knowledge, and teaching practices (their ways of being, knowing, and doing). Educators also provided insight into elements that made this form of professional learning impactful. We offer reflections regarding the use of the community of practice approach, stemming from these findings, which may be useful for other providers in their efforts to plan, implement, and evaluate professional learning for early education for sustainability in culturally responsive and sustaining ways. Full article

While pregnancy and anticipation of the birth of the first child may be a stressful experience for women, it may also provide an opportunity for personal growth. The literature shows that stress is a prerequisite for growth. However, studies rarely distinguish between different sources of stress. This study therefore sought to increase the theoretical understanding of personal growth by examining the contribution of different stress sources (exposure to pregnancy-related stressors, experiencing pregnancy stress, stress associated with life events during pregnancy, COVID-19-related anxiety over possible economic damage, and COVID-19-related anxiety over the health of the fetus). In addition, drawing on the Broaden and Build Theory, the contribution of dispositional gratitude to personal growth was examined. The sample consisted of 1378 women expecting their first child, who were recruited through social media. Results show that dispositional gratitude has a significant contribution to personal growth (p < 0.001) and that all stress sources except for pregnancy stress, contributed significantly to personal growth (p < 0.05). The study expands the theoretical knowledge and lends support to the need for a theoretical and methodological distinction between different sources of stress. Full article

Background: In the last several years, “physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling” has gathered significant emphasis in the modeling of drug absorption, disposition, and metabolism. This research study aims to elaborate the plasma/serum concentration–time profiles and pharmacokinetics (PK) of ofloxacin by establishing a PBPK model in healthy subjects and those suffering from renal impairment (RI). Methods: A comprehensive literature analysis was conducted to screen out all the systemic PK profiles and parameters specific to ofloxacin, followed by their implementation in PK-Sim^® version 12 software. This model-driven approach begins by developing the model in healthy populations using both intravenous (IV) and per-oral (PO) routes and then extrapolating it to the diseased population. The model evaluation was then strengthened for different PK variables such as the maximal plasma/serum concentration (C_max), the area under the curve from 0 to t (AUC_0–t), and plasma/serum clearance (CL) by employing various metrics such as predicted/observed ratios (R_pre/obs), visual predictive checks, the average fold error (AFE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE). Results: The AFE, RSME, and MAE for C_max in RI were 1.10, 0.22, and 0.16, respectively, which fell within the acceptable simulated error range. Furthermore, dosage adjustments for individuals with mild, moderate, and severe RI were presented by box-whisker plots to compare their systemic exposure with that of the healthy population. Conclusions: These model predictions have confirmed the PK variations in ofloxacin, which may assist the clinicians in optimizing dosage schedules in healthy and various categories of RI populations. Full article

While theoretical frameworks posit mindfulness as a catalyst for wisdom development, longitudinal evidence remains scarce. This study examines the developmental trajectory of wisdom during emerging adulthood and investigates the intra-person and within-person effects of mindfulness on wisdom through a three-wave longitudinal design. A sample of 719 Chinese first-year college students completed assessments of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the Situated Wise Reasoning Scale, and the Wise Thinking Scale across three timepoints. Longitudinal multilevel analysis (LMA) and random intercepts cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were employed to distinguish between stable individual differences and temporary fluctuations. Three key findings emerged: (1) Both wise reasoning and wise thinking exhibited linear growth trajectories. (2) At the between-person level, dispositional mindfulness showed strong positive associations with wisdom. (3) Within-person analyses revealed that mindfulness fluctuations prospectively predicted changes in wise reasoning and thinking, establishing temporal precedence. This study provides new evidence that wisdom can be both a developing ability and a stable trait during emerging adulthood. The observed dynamic links between mindfulness and wisdom highlight the potential of mindfulness-based interventions to foster the growth of wisdom. Full article

Objectives: Despite the implementation of additional safety measures, motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) still result in significant injuries and fatalities. This study aims to explore the severity of these injuries and the length of hospital stays (LOS) following MVCs. Furthermore, this study will assess how helmet use and alcohol influence trauma outcomes. Methods: This retrospective study from a single center includes 604 patients from 1 January 2016, to 31 December 2024. Patients were identified based on the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) body regions. Descriptive statistics and ANOVA were performed on helmet use and blood alcohol concentration, with significance set at p < 0.01. Results: Mean LOS at the hospital (H) was 13 days, 10.53 h in the ED, and 113.32 h in the ICU. In total, 74.5% of patients were male and 25.5% were female. The mean injury severity score (ISS) was 22.58, with 99.83% representing blunt trauma. The majority of patients (94.21%) arrived with signs of life, with 50.99% patients discharged to home or self-care (routine discharge). A noticeable trend following 2020 showed an increase in ED discharges, and thus ED admissions, compared to years before 2020. Helmet use showed a non-significant trend toward reduced ISS and length of stay. ETOH level and primary payor source were not significantly associated with outcome variables in regression models, though patterns suggest a potential relationship between payor source and ED discharge disposition. Conclusions: This study identifies important clinical trends that merit further investigation. Helmet use may be associated with reduced injury severity and shorter hospital stays, while differences in primary payor source suggest disparities in ED discharge outcomes. These findings underscore the need for further research on payor disposition, helmet use, and ETOH level in MVCs. Full article

Background: Despite the high prevalence of malignant pericardial effusions (MPEs), the differences in mortality between those undergoing pericardiocentesis for MPE versus non-malignancy pericardial effusions (NMPEs) are not well characterized. To address this knowledge gap, we aim to compare clinical outcomes following pericardiocentesis among patients with MPE and NMPE. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the US National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to identify all hospitalizations during which pericardiocentesis was performed between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2020 (total n = 174,776,205). This cohort was further stratified based on the presence or absence of malignancy. The primary outcome of interest was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included discharge disposition (categorized as non-home discharges), length of stay, and total hospitalization costs. Results: A total of 85,125 patients with pericardial effusions undergoing pericardiocentesis were identified. Patients with an MPE (n = 24,740) were younger and more likely to have a history of malnutrition, prior radiation, palliative care treatments, and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders compared to those with an NMPE (n = 60,385). Lung cancer was the most common malignancy (40.3%) in patients with an MPE requiring pericardiocentesis. The in-hospital mortality following pericardiocentesis was 11.8% in patients with malignancy and 8.2% in patients without (odds ratio (OR) for mortality 1.50 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.34–1.68, p < 0.001). Lung cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, esophageal cancer, ovarian cancer, and leukemia were associated with a significantly increased risk of death during the same admission. Non-home discharge, length of stay, and total hospitalization cost were marginally greater in those with an MPE. Conclusions: In patients undergoing pericardiocentesis, those with an MPE had significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared to those with an NMPE. Additionally, the MPE group had a marginally longer length of stay and incurred higher total hospital costs. Further research is warranted to explore optimal treatment strategies for MPEs, particularly in patients with a limited life expectancy. Full article

The presented findings are derived from the project #STANDFORSOMETHING, coordinated by the European Youth Card Association, funded by the European Parliament, with the aim of thoroughly investigating the perspectives and opinions of European youth regarding the European Union (EU) and its institutions—a historically under-researched cohort—despite their impact on the future policy agenda. The crucial question in this research is to understand the effect of issue salience on the dispositions of citizens towards the EU, whether positive or negative, but also to understand the impact on the development of a European identity or the perseverance of a national identity. This threefold relationship explored in the attitudes of the youth can reveal a behavioral algorithm that can explain the rhythm of European integration on a cultural and political level and its variances across different countries. This collaborative effort involved a quantitative part—a survey with 3000 young respondents from across all EU Member States—and a qualitative part. An advanced comparative data analysis brings forward a significant connection between the youth’s attitudes towards the EU, their sense of European identity, and their major issues of concern. On a cross-national analysis, the EU map is segmented into four distinct behavior patterns across specific geographical zones, underscoring the diversity and depth of youth attitude and issue profiles across Europe, resulting in a specific tool to be used by European policymakers. Full article

The early identification of cognitive decline is crucial for well-timed intervention and diagnosis, particularly in the context of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, we investigated the complex interplay between trait affect, objective cognitive performance, and subjective memory estimations in a sample of 105 older adults. Using path analysis, we aimed to determine whether trait affect and objective cognitive control abilities predict individuals’ subjective perceptions of their own memory abilities. The results revealed that both positive and negative trait affect significantly predicted subjective memory estimations, while objective cognitive control performance did not significantly predict these estimations. These findings highlight a crucial dissociation between objective and subjective cognitive measures. Therefore, the present results underscore the critical importance of complementing self-reported cognitive estimations, which can be biased by stable emotional dispositions, with objective cognitive tools like the R4Alz-pc (preclinical) index. This approach enables a more accurate evaluation of cognitive health in advancing age, especially for the early detection of subtle dysfunction in preclinical AD. Full article