Factors associated with the perception of fear of COVID-19 in university students

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the factors associated with the perception of fear of COVID-19 in Brazilian university students. Methods: this is an online, cross-sectional analytical study conducted at a Brazilian public university with 1,437 undergraduate students between September and November 2020. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used to measure the main construct. Data analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U test, Cohen’s r test and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: factors associated with fear of COVID-19 in university students were the variables biological sex, perception of good sleep quality, many days of access to information, not complying with social distancing, reporting sufficient hours of sleep, not having a partner, guidance sexual non-heterosexual, being in the risk group for COVID-19 and tobacco consumption. Conclusions: the study findings can contribute to the discussion about the weaknesses that the university population is experiencing in this pandemic period.

Conceptual Urban Renewal Outlines Against Proposed Mediaspree Project at Holzmarkt Area in Berlin: A Proposal to Remodel Vibrant Urban Space

The German capital city of Berlin, amongst all European cities, is well known as one of the most freethinking center but yet historical. Its industrial historic structures and heritage elements over the spree river shore are reanalyzed and reexamined in this case study with emphasis on club culture and social recreation. The important issue is that, the structures and architectural style of these few surviving buildings have the common features and also diversities which were never brought under light and even ignored to let them became hub for unsocial activities like drug dealing and unhygienic adobes for homeless peoples. To discover and recognize their current contribution and possible social attribute over the whole city fabric, the main construct of this paper is to rethink Berlin’s so called public cohesion on the basis of recreational character and its associated urban order. The research question is: “What is the topmost role played by such built elements for formation of a distinct civic culture and keep Berlin alive?” To reveal the conceivable theoretical framework of this study will try to accentuate same facts and aspects followed by descriptive-analytical method and suggest independent and dependent variables, possible cooperative urban inventions based on the inhabitants’ interest, protest and demands against privatization of Media Spree. Documentation, field survey, associated drawings, related photographs from different time intervals and model studying was helpful for analyzing the urban morphology. The proposed design will try to indicate that the historic industrial buildings, pubs and markets, art practice and the overall landscape has tremendous bilateral relations for the wellbeing of city dwellers; which could be shaped well into a main ‘Axis’ of cultural activities, which Berlin is not posed with currently.

Enhancing Students’ Green Ethic-Based Problem Solving Skills in English for Tourism Subject Course

This study aims to examine the development of students' core competencies in learning English for Tourism at Tourism Department Politeknik Negeri Bali, where the main product is a green ethical-based measurement instrument for Core Competencies Practices of Problem Solving Skills. Two types of instruments have been created and designed and then used to assess the level of Development in the teaching and learning process for students and lecturers. The results of the Students' Report trial show that overall the instrument is suitable for widespread use. Confirmatory factor analysis results also show the validity of the sub constructs for each main construct. The results of the level of development of Core Competencies show that the minimum development of students' Core Competencies is above 4.2. This means that the development of student Core Competencies has been achieved. For this reason, the Core Competencies development model must maintain to be developed, tested and finally implemented.

The Extent of New Product Development Partnership between Universities and the Manufacturing Firms in Ghana

The importance of new product development in building both technological and technical capacity of university and firm cannot be overemphasized. Collaborations between HE and industry in NPD is conceived as mutual interaction for skills acquisition and economic improvement. The study was designed to determine the extent of new product development partnership between HEIs and the manufacturing firms. A survey was conducted, and a sample of 400 was drawn from both HE and industry; the data were then analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) software of EQS version 6.2.The results revealed that there is weak interaction between HE and industry, also there is no formal partnership between the two on new product development. in order to strengthen the mutual relationship, a conceptual model had been developed after a careful examination and assessment of the key factors of NPD and after preliminary CFA analysis conducted to establish the determinants of the main construct. A nine-factor model was then developed for university and industry. The study therefore recommends that higher education and industry adopt this new model for effective partnership on NPD.

Influencing Factors for Internet Banking Adoption using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Approach

Internet banking is an online financial transaction approach that uses internet as the platform. Customers could perform their transactions anywhere and anytime. Current extensive researches from the literature have analyzed and investigated on various factors related to the internet banking adoption. Drawing from the various theories associated with acceptance model, this paper will combine these various predetermined factors into one model. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), method was adapted in identifying the relevant multiple factors for the model. AHP is the best technique to use for mathematical calculation, to allow decision makers to prioritize their ranking to fit and resolve multiple criteria. The purpose of these paper is to prioritize the influencing factors to use internet banking. Based on the literature review, three main factors namely technical information, website and service availability had been identified as the main construct of the model and the sub factors were communication, responsiveness, privacy, ease of use, security, reliability and efficiency had been proposed into one integrated framework. These factors were identified by using Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology. Hence, the paper will deepen the understanding of the specific factors underpinned in the study of internet bankingadoption.

Attitude on intention to use e-government in Indonesia

The application of information and communication technologies in Indonesia continues to be developed as the government becomes more serious in improving services to its citizen. However, there are still some obstacles to using the service. The purpose of this paper to present a framework improving e-government services to its citizen. The paper opted for using a comprehensive review of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). This paper offers ideas to see intention to the community in using e-government, by using the modified UTAUT model where the main construct performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), facilitating conditions (FC) is an important factor. Moderators such as gender, age, experience and voluntariness of use were excluded and using attitude as a mediator. The findings showed that UTAUT’s construct such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions is an important factor appropriate for seeing intention to citizen in using e-government and 9 hypotheses offered in the model are believed to get new findings in the future and increase the development of the UTAUT model and be able to provide concept ideas that are made in seeing the intentions of e-government users.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MYTHOPOETIC STRATEGY OF LEGITIMATION IN JAPANESE PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE

Введение. Рассматривается описание реализации одной из четырех дискурсивных стратегий процесса легитимации, выделенных известным дискурс-аналитиком Т. ван Леувеном, ‒ мифопоэтической стратегии. Целью настоящего исследования определено выявление и комплексное описание специфических черт реализации мифопоэтической стратегии легитимации институционализированных ценностей в японском педагогическом дискурсе. Материал и методы. Материалом исследования служат японские учебники по школьному предмету («Моральное воспитание») для младшей и средней школы, разработанные японским Министерством образования – MEXT. В качестве основных инструментов исследования использованы методы дискурс-анализа и критического дискурс-анализа, а также метод интерпретации и лингвокультурологический метод. Результаты и обсуждение. На страницах учебника мы можем проследить реализацию всех субстратегий, которые Т. ван Леувен включает в мифопоэтическую стратегию. Поучительный рассказ демонстрирует, как с помощью упорства и трудолюбия, напрямую связанными с японской ценностной доминантой гамбари, главный герой достигает успеха. Обращение к этой ценностной доминанте есть и в другом рассказе, который относится к инвертированному повествованию. Инвертированность в описанном рассказе достигается за счет наделения животных, живущих в лесу, качествами реальных социальных акторов – обычных японцев. Апокрифический рассказ, напротив, иллюстрирует, как своенравие главного героя и его нежелание подчиняться общественным устоям приводят к постепенному исключению его из общества. Рассказ, рассматриваемый в качестве примера символического повествования, представляет собой аллюзию, источником которой является само японское общество с его законами и традициями. А моделируемая в нем проблема включения детей-инвалидов и детей с отклонениями в развитии в современное общество находит прямое отражение в современной образовательной политике Японии. Заключение. Проведенный анализ учебников курса «Моральное воспитание» позволяет выделить основные направления японской педагогической мысли, а также выявить те институционализированные ценностные установки, которые транслируются японскому подрастающему поколению посредством педагогического дискурса. И хотя японское образование построено по образцу западных стран, легитимируемые на страницах учебников морально-этические нормы находятся в тесной связи с традиционными ценностями. Introduction. The current paper is dedicated to studying one of the 4 discursive strategies of legitimation identified by discourse analyst T. van Leeuwen, mythopoesis. The aim of the study is to reveal specific features of realization of legitimation discursive strategies and to interpret the results in the context of nature of education policy in Japan. Material and methods. The focus of our study is Japanese modern educational system and textbooks of the Course of Moral Education for elementary and secondary schools provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, MEXT. In order to uncover the legitimation strategies in the Course of Moral Education we used the method of discourse analysis and also the critical discourse analysis. Moreover, the method of content analysis and cultural linguistics method are also used. Results and discussion. All the sub-strategies of mythopoesis that was identified by T. van Leeuwen are found in textbooks. Moral tale demonstrates how protagonist achieves success relying on perseverance and diligence, which are in directly linked to the Japanese value gambari. Another story which refers to the inversion is also addresses to this value. Inversion is achieved by endowing the animals from the forest with the qualities of real social actors. The cautionary tale, in contrast, illustrates how the protagonist’s willfulness and unwillingness to obey social principles lead to his exclusion from the society. The symbolization story is an allusion of Japanese society itself with its laws and traditions. Conclusion. The analysis allows to identify the main areas of Japanese pedagogy, as well as to identify the values that are transmitted to the Japanese younger generation through pedagogical discourse. Although Japanese education is modelled after the Western countries’ system, it is still in close connection with moral standards which were the main construct of Japanese society from old centuries.

Longest continuously erupting large igneous province driven by plume-ridge interaction

Large igneous provinces (LIPs) typically form in one short pulse of ~1–5 Ma or several punctuated ~1–5 Ma pulses. Here, our 25 new 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages for the main construct of the Kerguelen LIP—the Cretaceous Southern and Central Kerguelen Plateau, Elan Bank, and Broken Ridge—show continuous volcanic activity from ca. 122 to 90 Ma, a long lifespan of >32 Ma. This suggests that the Kerguelen LIP records the longest, continuous high-magma-flux emplacement interval of any LIP. Distinct from both short-lived and multiple-pulsed LIPs, we propose that Kerguelen is a different type of LIP that formed through long-term interactions between a mantle plume and mid-ocean ridge, which is enabled by multiple ridge jumps, slow spreading, and migration of the ridge. Such processes allow the transport of magma products away from the eruption center and result in long-lived, continuous magmatic activity.

GeoGebra integration and effectiveness in the teaching and learning of mathematics in secondary schools: A review of literature

This article explores studies that investigated GeoGebra integration and its effectiveness in teaching and learning mathematics. The study examines existing studies on how and why GeoGebra enhanced students’ performance; understanding, analytical thinking, generalization, abstract thinking, representation, and logical thinking. By a deep exploration of the main construct of the study, we collected and analyzed 20 studies whose results reported that GeoGebra added values when applied in teaching and learning in different mathematical domains. The reviewed literature identified four domains in Mathematics: Geometry, Algebra, Calculus, and Trigonometry that was studied. The majority of the reviewed studies investigated the integration of GeoGebra in Geometry and few studies were found in other mathematical domains. The literature ascertains that students can explore independently the software and acquire mathematical concepts with minimum assistance from the teacher. The results from the reviewed literature, on the one hand, indicated 16/20 or (80 %) of the studies generally showed that GeoGebra is effective in teaching and learning Mathematics since GeoGebra contributed in enhancing students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and improved students’ interest to learn mathematics. On the other hand, only 4/20 studies or (20%) showed non-effectiveness of GeoGebra since students in both experimental and control groups did not show the difference in their performance after being both given post-tests or an interview. This may indicate that although GeoGebra seems to be largely effective, such effectiveness is dependent on the way it is integrated into the teaching and learning process. Therefore, we recommend that other research should step up investigating why most of the studies were found in the Geometry domain and few in other domains.

Extrovert integrated management systems

PurposeThe purpose of this research is twofold; firstly, to propose and test a measuring instrument for the efficient and effective integration of management systems (MSs), identifying the particular aspects that may distinguish the substantive (internalized) from the superficial (ceremonial) integration; and secondly, to propose and test a scale for corporate sustainability performance (CSP).Design/methodology/approachA literature review has identified pertinent variables and yielded relevant measuring items. A field survey has been conducted. The survey instrument has been administered to Greek organizations certified to two or more MS standards. Collected data from 280 respondents has been processed using exploratory factor analysis.FindingsInternalization has been identified as the main construct to interpret substantial MS integration in terms of resources and the extent of integration. The extracted internalization factors are human resources, strategic resources, information systems, integration tools, outsourcing, internal processes integration level and audits' integration level. CSP has been operationalized in terms of the company's relationships with its stakeholders. The extracted CSP factors are customer–supplier relationship, the employees, investors/shareholders, financial institutions, the environment, state and society.Practical implicationsThis research findings can be used by management professionals, certification bodies and governmental authorities in order to foster the implementation of multiple MSs and highlight the critical issues for their successful integration and internalization, which is imperative for their prosperity and contribution toward CSP. Practitioners are also provided with an instrument to monitor CSP through the company's relationships with its stakeholders toward satisfaction of their needs.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study on the internalization of integrated MSs. In addition, the development of a CSP scale intends to bring together corporate sustainability management with CSP.