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Using dialogic multimodal feedback to enhance university EFL students’ writing:affordances for language learning styles
No full textIn the context of remarkable technological advancements, computer-assisted feedback, especially video feedback, has proved to yield significant merits in language skill development. However, little research has delved into the application of dialogic multimodal feedback (DMF) to cater to different learning styles, especially for EFL learners’ writing skill development. Hence, this mixed-method study was conducted to shed light on 1/ different stakeholders’ perceptions about the affordances of dialogic multimedia feedback, and 2/ how this feedback modality affects writing skill development of students with different learning styles. Three major data collection instruments, namely survey, follow-up interview, and teachers’ reflective journals, were used to collect in-depth data regarding learners’ and teachers’ perspectives about the use of this feedback modality. Data from qualitative sources were analyzed using thematic analysis, while SPSS was used to analyze quantitative data from the survey. The results reveal various perceived affordances of dialogic multimedia feedback, including technical (replay, transcript, reaction functions), pedagogical (multimodal feedback sources for different learning styles), and social (discussion function) affordances. Both students and teachers also have generally more positive comments about the impacts of dialogic multimedia feedback compared to conventional text feedback. Not only can DMF foster deeper understanding via multi-modalities of information, engage students with various learning style preferences, but it can also alleviate workload for teachers if it is designed properly. Moreover, the interactivity function empowers more students to ask questions and reflect on teachers’ feedback, shifting feedback from the conventional passive monologic practice to two-way co-construction of knowledge. Notably, different learners may perceive and act upon the available affordances in different ways, attributing to different perceived impacts on writing skill
Influence of Clinical Risk Factors on International Normalized Ratio Control in Patients on Warfarin Therapy:A Systematic Review
No full textWarfarin remains a widely prescribed oral anticoagulant despite its narrow therapeutic index and its association with life-threatening bleeding events. This systematic review examined the impact of clinical risk factors on international normalized ratio (INR) control in patients receiving Warfarin therapy. Following the PRISMA-P guidelines, we searched four electronic databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, and Web of Science) using Medical Subject Headings to identify eligible cohort studies published between 2016 and 2020. A total of 15 original research articles met the inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. This review identified several clinical risk factors influencing INR control, including drug interactions with Warfarin, herbal supplements, dietary intake of vitamin K, and multiple comorbidities (anemia, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, psychiatric disorders, prosthetic valve), kidney transplant recipient, hemodialysis, and hypoalbuminemia. These clinical risk factors adversely affect the time in therapeutic range, thereby increasing the risk of adverse outcomes such as thromboembolism, major bleeding, and mortality. Overall, these clinical risk factors compromise Warfarin efficacy by contributing to subtherapeutic or supratherapeutic INR levels. Identifying and addressing these clinical risk factors prior to initiating Warfarin therapy is essential to achieving optimal INR control
Picking strategies in games of cooperation
No full textEvolutionary game theory (EGT) has been pivotal in the study of cooperation, offering formal models that account for how cooperation may arise in groups of selfish, but simple agents. This is done by inspecting the complex dynamics arising from simple interactions between a few strategies in a large population. As such, the strategies at stake are typically hand-picked by the modeler, resulting in a system with many more individuals in the population than strategies available to them. In the presence of noise and with multiple equilibria, the choice of strategies can considerably alter the emergent dynamics. As a result, model outcomes may not be robust to how the strategy set is chosen, sometimes misrepresenting the conditions required for cooperation to emerge. We propose three principles that can lead to a more systematic choice of the strategies in EGT models of cooperation. These are the inclusion of all computationally equivalent strategies; explicit microeconomic models of interactions, and a connection between stylized facts and model assumptions. Further, we argue that new methods arising in AI may offer a promising path toward richer models. These richer models can push the field of cooperation forward together with the principles described above. At the same time, AI may benefit from connecting to the more abstract models of EGT. We provide and discuss examples to substantiate these claims.</p
Bridging the Technical Gap:A Unified Representation Framework for Voice-based Community Engagement Platforms
No full textHCI practitioners in development contexts utilize collaborative digital technologies for community engagement in international development, often mediated through platforms like social media, tele-conferencing, and Interactive Voice Response (IVR). However, the lack of standardized representation approaches for these platforms impedes effective communication among stakeholders. We propose a unified graphical framework for characterizing and representing collaborative platforms, focusing on audio/voice-based engagements. Our framework segments community engagement sessions into engagement formats, characterizing them with preconditions, configurations, and outputs, and visualizes them using state machine-based representations. A field study demonstrates the framework’s effectiveness in supporting stakeholder communication for real-life scenarios. We contribute to CSCW literature by providing a standardized approach that offers a common framework/language for discussing, developing, or reconfiguring collaborative platforms. Our findings show that this framework enables non-governmental organizations and researchers to navigate under-explored design spaces, enhancing the utilization of voice-based platforms for engaging distributed marginalized communities.</p
The impact of Arctic environments on human cerebral blood flow velocity
No full textBackground: The Arctic environment represents an extreme living condition that has significant impact on life. But research on alterations of human cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) in a high-latitude and low-temperature environment in the Arctic is still lacking. Methods: Members of the 12th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition team who took the icebreaker R/V Xuelong 2 to the Arctic were recruited. Transcranial colour doppler (TCD) examination was performed at the beginning of the voyage (lower latitude and higher temperature, LLHT) and during the Arctic scientific expedition period (higher latitude and lower temperature, HLLT), respectively. The spectral pattern and parameters of cerebral arteries were compared. Results: Among 16 healthy individuals, 13 completed the TCD examination twice. They had a significantly lower mean velocity (Vm) (63.5 cm/s HLLT vs. 68.4 cm/s LLHT; P = 0.028) and peak systolic velocity (PSV) (94.6 cm/s HLLT vs. 107.0 cm/s LLHT; P = 0.038) of the left middle cerebral artery (LMCA) and higher pulsatility index (PI) of the right middle cerebral artery (RMCA) (0.83 HLLT vs. 0.77 LLHT; P = 0.011) in the HLLT environment compared to the LLHT one. Conclusions: Changes in human CBFV may occur in higher-latitude and lower-temperature environments in the Arctic.</p
Epidemiological principles in claims of causality:an enquiry into Repetitive Head Impacts (RHI) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)
No full textDetermining whether repetitive head impacts (RHI) cause the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)-neuropathological change (NC) and whether pathological changes cause clinical syndromes are topics of considerable interest to the global sports medicine community. In 2022, an article was published that used the Bradford Hill criteria to evaluate the claim that RHI cause CTE. The publication garnered international media attention and has since been promoted as definitive proof that causality has been established. Our counterpoint presents an appraisal of the published article in terms of the claims made and the scientific literature used in developing those claims. We conclude that the evidence provided does not justify the causal claims. We discuss how causes are conceptualised in modern epidemiology and highlight shortcomings in the current definitions and measurement of exposures (RHI) and outcomes (CTE). We address the Bradford Hill arguments that are used as evidence in the original review and conclude that assertions of causality having been established are premature. Members of the scientific community must be cautious of making causal claims until the proposed exposures and outcomes are well defined and consistently measured, and findings from appropriately designed studies have been published. Evaluating and reflecting on the quality of research is a crucial step in providing accurate evidence-based information to the public.</p
Resilience capacities of youth population for transformational development in emerging economies:in search of an eclectic framework
No full textThe economic development of a country largely depends on its sizable youth population, which offers a demographic dividend through a higher proportion of individuals in the working-age group. This potential is realized when the youth possess the necessary resilience capacities to address economic, social, and environmental vulnerabilities. While some scholars have proposed holistic perspectives on resilience by integrating various dimensions of vulnerability, existing approaches often remain narrow and fail to reflect the diverse experiences of youth in emerging economies. In this context, Bangladesh provides a relevant case as an emerging economy to examine the relationship between transformational development and the resilience capacities of its youth population. Accordingly, this study employs a qualitative approach focusing on youth from diverse backgrounds living in climate-vulnerable coastal areas of Bangladesh. It proposes an eclectic framework to guide the transformational development and resilience capacity-building of youth in emerging economies. The paper contends that without a comprehensive development of youth resilience capacities, it is difficult to foster the transformational leadership essential for sustainable development. Thus, this study contributes to the academic discourse on transformational development by highlighting the importance of holistic resilience capacity-building among youth from a resilience perspective.</p
Trends in the safety of the New Zealand vehicle fleet: 1964 to 2023:Supplement to MUARC Report 384 - Vehicle safety ratings estimated from police-reported crash data: 2025 Evaluation
No full textCrashworthiness is an estimate of the occupant protection provided by a vehicle, namely the risk of a driver of a vehicle being killed or admitted to hospital when involved in a crash. This project further investigated the relationship between vehicle crashworthiness and both the year of manufacture and the year of first registration in New Zealand. Analysis was based on New Zealand light passenger vehicles manufactured from 1964 to 2023 and crashing during 1991 to 2023. Analysis by year of first registration in New Zealand was aimed at assessing crashworthiness trends in the fleet of used imported vehicles in New Zealand whilst analysis by year of manufacture examined trends in the fleet as a whole. Crashworthiness was measured by combining estimates of injury severity (of injured drivers) and injury risk (of drivers involved in crashes). The ratings were adjusted for the sex and age of the driver, the speed limit at the crash location, the number of vehicles involved in the crash and the year in which the crash occurred. The crashworthiness rating estimates the risk of the driver being killed or admitted to hospital when involved in a crash, to a degree of accuracy represented by the confidence limits of the rating in each case.Analysis of trends by year of vehicle manufacture showed statistically significant improvement in the crashworthiness of New Zealand light passenger vehicles over the years of manufacture studied. The most rapid improvement (68.6%) occurred over the years of manufacture from 1983 to 2007. During this period, vehicle safety in New Zealand was affected by several competing effects: a general increase in both active and passive safety features in vehicles; increasing proportions of used imported vehicles entering the New Zealand fleet; and increases in the regulation of vehicle safety standards by the New Zealand Government. Over the period 1983 to 2023, the risk of death or serious injury to drivers reduced by 77.4% (relative to 1983). Estimates of crashworthiness trends in the used import vehicle fleet by year of first registration in New Zealand from 1986 to 2023 showed improved crashworthiness of the used import fleet over these years. A difference in safety between the new and used imported vehicles was identified along with a trend to improving crashworthiness for new vehicles sold in recent years. As the average age of used imported vehicles increased from seven and a half years in the early 2000s to eight and a half years by 2023, the gap between the safety of new vehicles and used imports brought into New Zealand each year has widened.This report also presents the updated Used Car Safety Ratings (UCSR) that measure the relative safety of vehicles in preventing severe injury to people involved in crashes. Where a particular vehicle is not sufficiently common in the Australasian light vehicle fleets, the Vehicle Safety Risk Rating (VSRR) shows the likely safety level of the vehicle based on similar vehicles but produced at a more aggregated level than the UCSR. The VSRR applies to specific market groups (e.g., small cars) for each year of manufacture. For a very small proportion of vehicles, the average rating for a given year of manufacture across all market groups is the best safety rating available as information regarding the market group of the vehicles is lacking.The results of this report are based on a number of assumptions and warrant a number of qualifications that should be noted
Traversing self and other:the professional identity of immigrant English teachers
No full textThe professional identity of immigrant English teachers (IETs) in Australia is profoundly shaped by their lived experiences and systemic positioning as the marginalized “Other.” Misrecognition stemming from non-native accents, linguistic varieties, race, culture, and foreign qualifications often situates IETs in deficit-based frameworks compared to white native English-speaking teachers. Employing hermeneutic phenomenology and narrative inquiry, this long-term study examines how IETs navigate systemic barriers and discursive contestations to reconstitute their professional identities informed by their lived experiences over time. Drawing on concepts of self and the Other, power, dialogism, and hybridity, the findings reveal that IETs employ critical reflection and agentive strategies to challenge dominant discourses of nativeness and non-nativeness. Despite persistent structural inequities, they demonstrate hybrid professionalism and envision themselves as cosmopolitan educators. The study calls for inclusive policies and practices that recognize IETs’ multilingual and multicultural expertise across migration, settlement, and professional practice phases. Educational institutions must recognize and normalize intercultural capabilities and intersectional understandings of diversity to foster inclusive teaching environments. Beyond education, these findings underscore the broader relevance of addressing systemic barriers for immigrant professionals across sectors. Further research is needed to examine the long-term impacts of such inclusive practices on professional integration, development, and contributions to multicultural educational landscapes.</p
Sephardic history and nostalgia for Spain in ‘<i>The Rose of Thirteen Petals and the Pomegranate Tree</i>’
No full textThe historical expulsion and displacement of Spanish Jews has captivated the imagination of many writers over the centuries, including Sir Walter Scott, whose historical romance, ‘Ivanhoe’, featuring a Sephardic maiden, Rebecca, was considered by Georg Lukács to be among the first historical novels. This article explores the ways in which Sephardic history and nostalgia for Spain, which expelled all Jews in 1492, drives the narrative in my novel, ‘The Rose of Thirteen Petals and the Pomegranate Tree’. Corresponding with Gaston Bachelard’s Poetics of Space and Marianne Hirsch’s ‘Rites of Return’, this article explores Spain’s role as a ‘lieu de mémoire’, which continues to inspire fictional quest narratives tracing a return to one’s ancestral roots on the basis of mystical, rather than genealogical, claims, due to a lack of archival documentation. This reflects a process of ‘reenchantment’, which serves to correct the historical account, while helping to heal the ongoing trauma of persecution, expulsion and exile