Changing World Research Articles

Reflections on curriculum and learning imperatives in a changing world

Reflections on curriculum and learning imperatives in a changing world

Speed Breeding in Cereal Crops: Accelerating Genetic Improvement for Rapid Agricultural Advancement

The global demand for food is rising due to population growth, climate change, and evolving consumer preferences. Traditional plant breeding programs typically require a decade or more to develop and release new crop varieties. Speed breeding is a cutting-edge technique designed to expedite genetic improvement by significantly reducing the seed-to-seed cycle. This review explores the principles, applications, and potential of this method in accelerating agricultural advancement. Originating from NASA's experiments for food production in space, the approach has evolved into a highly efficient strategy for speeding up breeding cycles in cereal crops. By manipulating light, photoperiodic regimes, temperature, and humidity within controlled environments, it is possible to achieve up to six generations of photo-insensitive crops and two to three generations of other crops per year. This rapid generation turnover provides a unique opportunity for accelerated genetic mapping, trait stacking, and enhanced genomic selection. Speed breeding complements modern breeding technologies such as genome editing, high-throughput genotyping, and CRISPR, facilitating quicker development of crop varieties with improved traits. Its applications extend to boosting transgenic pipelines and understanding critical physiological traits in crops. Furthermore, it aligns with breeding methods like single plant selection and single seed descent, offering a more efficient path to desirable outcomes. However, challenges remain, including the need for specialized infrastructure, the impact of genotypic variations, and potential stress responses due to accelerated conditions. Despite these hurdles, speed breeding represents a promising tool in the quest for food security and resilient agricultural systems. This review examines its potential to transform plant breeding, reduce cultivar development times, and contribute to rapid agricultural advancement in a changing world.

A Persistent Foe: Reinvigorating the Fight against Cardiovascular Disease in a Changing World

A Persistent Foe: Reinvigorating the Fight against Cardiovascular Disease in a Changing World

What sweeter music: an examination of the development and popularity of carol services in cathedrals

ABSTRACT Carol services have always been among the most popular of cathedral offerings, including with those who have little or no regular church affiliation. Their high-quality music may make them attractive to the growing numbers of ‘spiritual but not religious’, in similar ways to choral evensong; the fact that they also tell the story of human salvation through the incarnation creates an opportunity for mission which is often underestimated. The success of carol services might even stimulate questions as to whether nostalgia and tradition, paradoxically, act as drivers for mission in cathedrals. A rethinking of Benedictine identity is key to many cathedrals’ exploration of their place in a post-Covid world of rapid change: the popularity of ‘traditional’ services in a cathedral setting is one indicator of how the search for Benedictine stabilitas might become a positive rather than a backwards-looking movement in a time of uncertainty.

Made in India: Industrial Policy in a Changing World

Made in India: Industrial Policy in a Changing World

Climate Literacy in the Age of Global Climate Change: A Critical Inquiry into Shaping Climate –Literate Society for a Sustainable Future

Climate Change is a multidimensional challenge in the twenty-first century. The challenges venting out of the consequences of climate change are mainly due to a lack of information and knowledge to combat it. It is important to build a climate-literate society to address and combat the consequences of ecological catastrophe. There is a need for cutting-edge knowledge on understanding the nuances of critical components of climate science, which is the need of the hour. Henceforth, climate literacy is an understanding of anthropogenic impact driven by human activities that have led to planetary crisis; cultivating ecological skills and thought processes, with a pragmatic vision of providing a tool to build a sustainable world in the era of climate change world. The role of educators and academic institutions in nurturing environmental stewardship becomes a vital for taking a step forward to a sustainable future in the cocoon of sustainable development goals. This paper will explore and address the vision of cultivating climate literacy as a framework for sustainable development and addressing climate resilience in the age of global climate change. The aim of the study is to identify the efficacy of Climate Change Education (CCE) initiatives and to trace few of the best practices and methods for developing a climate-literate society. As we introspect into the future outcome of the present study, it will envision climate literate society and decision-making processes at individual, institutional, and governmental levels for promoting sustainability and millennium development goals. Thus, it calls for action, emphasising the urgency of humanising climate literacy to empower current and future generations to contribute meaningfully to the global environmental sustainability and resilience effort.

Psychologists return to the first question of Western philosophy.

When ancient humans gained the ability to investigate abstract questions, what first question did they pose? This article offers a novel, sweeping, historical analysis with important implications for psychological theory. The story begins with identifying the first question in Ancient Greek philosophy as "Where am I?" with particular interest in the world's overarching basic traits. For example, Pythagoras proposed the world was defined by beauty and Heraclitus suggested change. Though this discourse has traditionally puzzled historians, recent psychological research suggests it might have been largely a debate over primal world beliefs, an emerging research topic that this article introduces and situates historically. Recently, the latent structure of primal world beliefs was mapped statistically, revealing 26 dimensions. Most of these beliefs were new to psychologists, yet already posed by ancient philosophers-including Pythagoras' Beautiful world belief and Heraclitus' Changing world belief. Identifying first questions in early history may have value for psychological theorizing because it hints at something that social psychologists have long suspected: that humans are creatures fundamentally driven to understand their situation and what it calls for. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring Digital Entrepreneurship and the Development of Entrepreneurial Skills in General Studies Students

In a changing and complex world, the university is no stranger to the incursion of the digital world and the development of entrepreneurial skills in the learning of young university students. Currently, digital ventures have emerged and many of them are seen as tools and spaces for the development of entrepreneurial skills such as leadership, creativity and even new forms of teamwork. The development of skills that lead to the creation of different ventures is a window of opportunity to achieve personal and social improvement. This research was developed under the qualitative approach, and, from the methodology of grounded theory, the experiences of general studies students and their entrepreneurial skills were analyzed using digital resources developed from their curricular experiences. Thus, through semi-structured interviews and content analysis, it was possible to know how these entrepreneurial skills were able to develop learning based on creativity, leadership and teamwork. Ten general studies university students selected under inclusion criteria participated. The technique used was in-depth interview, description and categorical analysis. The results show that the students' experience reflects a partial knowledge of what is meant by digital entrepreneurship. Likewise, it is concluded that the learning experiences of general studies students about their entrepreneurial skills are very important in vocational training. Finally, it is hoped that this research can lead to new studies on the impact that digital entrepreneurship has on society and the culture of our young university students.   Received: 5 November 2023 / Accepted: 13 March 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Readiness of Education Students in Teaching Internship Basis for Student Teaching Internship Enhancement Program (STIEP)

Teaching internships provide trainees with the opportunity to understand the qualities of good teaching and identify their readiness for the profession. Continuous teacher development is crucial throughout their career, especially in the changing world and lifestyles. A study involving 28 education students at a private Higher Education Institution (HEI) assessed their readiness for teaching internships, leading to the development of a Student Teaching Internship Enhancement Program (STIEP). The results showed that students have a moderate level of need in nine out of ten items, with communication skills being the most needed. Other areas with moderate needs included classroom management, curriculum standards, questioning skills, concept readiness, lesson planning, teaching strategies, assessment, and ICT. To provide meaningful learning experiences, the STIEP should expose students to activities anchored to their specific needs

Reshaping the Multilateral Aid Regime from the Global South? Alternative Perspectives on Humanitarianism, Development and Peacebuilding from Latin America and the Caribbean

ABSTRACT In the context of rising contestations to the Liberal International Order (LIO), it is crucial to highlight the contribution of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region to international institutions and global governance, particularly considering its peripheral position in the world order. The Triple Nexus Approach (TPA), adopted in 2016, promotes a coordinated effort in providing humanitarian assistance and aid for development by integrating them with peace endeavours. The LAC region has provided political and conceptual contributions to each TPA component, providing alternative perspectives on multilateral governance in humanitarian action, development and peacebuilding, emphasising the pursuit of collective and context-specific outcomes for crisis prevention. Focusing on the period from the early 21st century to 2019, a time when the Triple Nexus theoretical structuring publications emerged, it is highlighted how contestations to the LIO and the changing world order have impacted global governance norms, creating opportunities for emerging and peripheral countries to shape post-liberal rules. This allows Global South countries to set self-determined development objectives and make a meaningful contribution to global rule-making.

Circular behavior of oil consumption and the impact of oil prices with the Fourier approach

In the changing world, oil continues to be important in energy production. Using monthly data from 1965–2022, the permanency of oil consumption fluctuations was investigated. Fourier-based Granger causality tests were used to examine cause-and-effect relationships between variables. Long-term relationships were estimated using Fourier-based Engle Granger cointegration tests. Unlike previous research, this study considers the long and short-term effects of countries that consume the most and least oil, as well as on a global scale, from different perspectives, examining oil price fluctuations together, and estimating these analyzes using the Fourier approach. Oil consumption fluctuations appear temporary in New Zealand and Luxembourg but permanent in all other countries. Oil consumption and prices share a causal relationship in the US, Japan, New Zealand, and Luxembourg, but no relationship elsewhere. A long-term relationship exists between oil consumption and prices in the US, India, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, and Estonia. In other countries, no long-term relationship is found between these two variables. Error correction model estimation shows only the equation for Japan can be interpreted based on statistical significance. A one-unit deviation between oil consumption and prices can reach equilibrium in 20 months.

Valuing Water in a Changing World

This piece highlights the historic hydrological development of the American Southwest by highlighting the rapid growth of water infrastructure, present and future struggles with drought and climate change, and proactive adaptation in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Book Review: Climate, Psychology, and Change: Reimagining Psychotherapy in an Era of Global Disruption and Climate Anxiety; Bednarek, S., Ed.; North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, CA, USA, 2024; ISBN: 979-8889840817

“Climate, Psychology and Change” offers a profound exploration of the psychological ramifications of the climate and ecological emergency (CEE), proposing a paradigm shift in psychotherapy to better support individuals and communities grappling with environmental distress. The book critiques the prevailing hyper-individualized and neoliberal societal framework, advocating for a decolonized, systemic psychotherapeutic approach that emphasizes interconnectedness across species and that challenges human exceptionalism. It outlines four psychological phases that individuals may experience in their environmental consciousness journey, epiphany, immersion, crisis, and resolution, highlighting their non-linear and systemic nature. This work underscores the importance of understanding distress within its broader social and ecological contexts and addresses the profound inequalities and injustices exacerbated by the CEE. With contributions from diverse psychological and non-traditional backgrounds, it introduces concepts like ‘ubuntu’, advocating for community-focused resilience practices. The book calls for a re-evaluation of psychotherapeutic practices to include communal and nature-connected approaches, offering innovative solutions like climate cafes and social dreaming. It presents a critical yet hopeful vision for the role of psychotherapy in navigating the challenges of the CEE, urging a rethinking of our relationship with the planet and each other, making it an essential read for those seeking to align psychotherapeutic practice with the realities of our changing world.

Variation in population assemblage of Acanthuridae and Scaridae across human concentration levels during a bleaching event affecting the coral reefs of Guna Yala, Panama

Abstract Coral reefs are the ocean's most productive ecosystem, supporting a huge amount of biodiversity, and are relied upon by millions of people worldwide. As we progress into the Anthropocene, coral reef ecosystems are increasingly threatened by a swath of pressures. Of the most impactful are El-Niño Southern Oscillation-related heat pulses, which result in the bleaching and potential mortality of coral reefs. Bleaching events, in synergy with other threats, are increasing algal-dominated reefs, which impact the productiveness of coral reef ecosystems. Herbivorous fish are the prominent algal consumers and are essential in controlling algal blooms. Species from the family Acanthuridae and Scaridae are the most conspicuous of herbivorous fish on coral reefs, and through a diverse array of physiological differences compose several unique functional groups. The population distribution of Acanthuridae and Scaridae are directly correlated with coral reef characteristics and composition and can suffer from bleaching events as well. Despite their importance in maintaining reef health and improving resilience to disturbances, there is a very scarce collection of literature that describes the population assemblage of Acanthuridae and Scaridae spp. during bleaching events. This study aims to contribute to this underreported phenomenon. Visual surveys of Acanthuridae and Scaridae species were conducted to measure the average density, mean size, and biomass in terms of coral reef characteristics across a human concentration gradient in Guna Yala, Panama. Results suggest a similar overall abundance of herbivorous fish between the two reef locations, with significantly larger sizes and biomass of A. coeruelus, S. aurofrenatum, S. viride, and S. iseri in reefs further away from human concentration. This correlates with significantly higher rugosity on these reefs. The mean size of each respective species appears to be lower than previously reported across the Caribbean. Additionally, the biomass distribution was strikingly skewed by S. viride which corresponds to almost ¾ of the total biomass. This indicates that the current bleaching event is having drastic impacts on the distribution of herbivorous fish populations, which is exacerbated by proximity to human concentration. This can have very negative consequences for the recovery of these reefs following the bleaching event. Of specific concern are the coral reefs closer to humans. Data from benthic composition surveys show that macroalgae cover and overall coral bleaching are significantly higher compared to reefs far from humans. This study provides vital information that may be useful for future studies to identify coral reef resilience to bleaching events through the scope of Acanthuridae and Scaridae population distribution. Lay Summary The ocean is a crucial and largely unexplored part of our planet. One area that has begun to receive sufficient scientific attention is coral reefs. This is because, despite only covering less than 1% of the ocean’s surface, coral reefs support a quarter of all marine life. This rich environment provides more than a billion people with their primary source of protein and offers coastal protection to hundreds of millions of people. However, the future of coral reefs is under threat. Due to climate change and human pressures, coral reefs are facing mortality on a worldwide scale. Of the most lethal are bleaching events, when the water temperature rises past the threshold of coral, and they turn white and die. At the same time, corals face a daily threat from increasing algae coverage, which can smother and kill the coral. These threats have intensified in the recent few decades and may permanently alter the biodiversity and productivity of coral reefs. Understanding these changes is of utmost importance, and one way to do so is to study the animals that eat algae and give coral a chance to thrive—herbivorous fish. This paper analyzes the population distribution of two herbivorous fish families: Acanthuridae (surgeonfish) and Scaridae (parrotfish) during a bleaching event. Learning how a bleachingevent can impact the presence of these essential species among coral reefs has rarely been accomplished in scientific literature, so this paper offers valuable contributions to a more comprehensive understanding of reef health during bleaching events and our changing world.

Potential Impact of Sustainable Business Practices: Brand Equity in Fast Food and Millennials’ Purchase Intentions

This study was carried out because we live in a world of constant change and high competition, where local fast-food brands in Chiclayo do not have an adequate position in the consumer’s mind compared to international franchises established in our town. The general objective was to determine the influence of brand equity on the purchase intention for local fast-food brands among Chiclayo millennials. The model proposed includes the constructs of brand equity in various category of food products. This document is intended to contribute to society and the scientific community by providing strategic support to brand owners who work with this approach and individual managers. A quantitative approach was used, with a basic type, explanatory level, and non-experimental cross-sectional design, using Cronbach’s alpha for reliability of the instrument and validity by expert judgment. Customers of local fast-food brands comprised the sample, with a total of 385 people surveyed independent of gender. SPSS v.27 and Microsoft Excel 2019 were used for simple random sampling. It was concluded that millennial consumers have regular brand equity and purchase intention for local fast-food brands, emphasizing that the knowledge dimension does not significantly influence purchase intention.

CSTO: Unchanged Priorities in a Changing World Order

CSTO: Unchanged Priorities in a Changing World Order

Understanding the Distribution, Behavioural Ecology, and Conservation Status of Asian Pelophylax

Understanding species from an ecological and phylogenetic perspective facilitates an understanding of their conservation status in relation to the changing world. The frog genus Pelophylax is among the largest in terms of amphibian biomass in the Palearctic, but species have not been thoroughly studied at the Asian continental scale. The phylogeographic relationship, behavioural ecology, and ecological requirements within the genus need clarification, despite generally good local coverage. Here, for the first time, we conducted a literature review focused on phylogeography and behavioural ecology, supported by ecological niche modelling of twelve Asian Pelophylax lineages. Finally, we compiled the known threats for each of the lineages. We first determined the presence of twelve species and species-candidate lineages. In terms of behavioural ecology, the main difference among lineages is the time to metamorphosis and the time to reach sexual maturity. The ecological models highlighted a match between the known presence of each clade and their suitable habitat and highlighted the Syr Darya drainage on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea for the non-described Pelophylax “Syr Darya lineage”. Finally, we highlighted the greatest variation among lineages in terms of threats, as some lineages are threatened by numerous factors, whereas others are expanding.

Molecular plasticity to ocean warming and habitat loss in a coral reef fish.

Sea surface temperatures are rising at unprecedented rates, leading to a progressive degradation of complex habitats formed by coral reefs. In parallel, acute thermal stress can lead to physiological challenges for ectotherms that inhabit coral reefs, including fishes. Warming and habitat simplification could push marine fishes beyond their physiological limits in the near future. Specifically, questions remain on how warming and habitat structure influence the brain of marine fishes. Here we evaluated how thermal stress and habitat loss are acting independently and synergistically as stressors in a damselfish of the Western Atlantic, Abudefduf saxatilis. For this experiment, 40 individuals were exposed to different combinations of temperature (27°C or 31°C) and habitat complexity (complex vs simple) for 10 days, and changes in brain gene expression and oxidative stress of liver and muscle were evaluated. The results indicate that warming resulted in increased oxidative damage in the liver (p=0.007) and changes in gene expression of the brain including genes associated with neurotransmission, immune function, and tissue repair. Individuals from simplified habitats showed higher numbers of differentially expressed genes, and changes for genes associated with synaptic plasticity and spatial memory. In addition, a reference transcriptome of A. saxatilis is presented here for the first time, serving as a resource for future molecular studies. This project enhances our understanding of how fishes are responding to the combination of coral reef degradation and thermal stress, while elucidating the plastic mechanisms that will enable generalists to persist in a changing world.

Management of Secondary School Education and Politics in Nigerian: Its Implications in a Changing World

The interplay of politics and education cannot be over emphasized, it is drawn from the development of human beings in the society. Various societies developed from the ancient era where people subject themselves to authorities for leadership and control. Based on the permissibility of the authorities, the agents of societal development as economic, cultural, social, and political are influenced directly or indirectly by the authorities. Based on these axioms, this paper is anchored on management of secondary school education and politics in Nigeria: its implication in a changing world. The interplay of these two variables were considered from various diversities of educational finance, curriculum design, educational development, student’s evaluation and teachers union. This paper however, suggested that appointment of educational leadership should be based on merit, policies should be made in line with the needs of the society. Student teaching and learning should be directed to the needs of the society and economy. Curriculum development should be designed to focus on the overall aims and objectives of Nigeria's education system to meet with other societies of the world no matter who is involved. Teachers’ unions should be allowed to function independently without political interference to strengthen the union and pursue its objectives vigorously. Finally, education in Nigeria should be adequately financed to effectively and efficiently meet contemporary societal demands in a changing world.

Habitat and respiratory strategy effects on hypoxia performance in anuran tadpoles.

A critical component of animal conservation in a changing world is an understanding of the physiological resilience of animals to different conditions. In many aquatic animals, hypoxia (low environmental oxygen levels) is a regular occurrence, but the likelihood and severity of hypoxia varies across habitats. Fast-flowing, stream-like habitats are never hypoxic, so long as flow is maintained. Do animals from such habitats retain the capacity to survive hypoxic conditions? We use aquatic frog tadpoles to test the effects of natural habitat on performance in hypoxia in an experimental framework, finding that stream-living tadpoles have reduced performance in hypoxia. Tadpoles also vary in lung presence, with some species able to breathe air during hypoxia. We found that among lunged tadpoles, air-breathing rates increase in hypoxia in pond-living species but not stream-living species. Lung presence was also found to influence hypoxia performance, as lungless, stream-living tadpoles were found to be especially vulnerable to hypoxia, while pond-living, lungless tadpoles appeared largely resilient to hypoxia. We consider the ramifications of our findings on conservation outlooks and strategies for frogs and their tadpoles, suggesting that stream-living tadpoles, and especially lungless, stream-living tadpoles, may be particularly at risk to factors that reduce stream flow. Thus, a primary goal for conservation and management of species with stream-living tadpoles should be the maintenance of year-round streamflow, which oxygenates waters and prevents hypoxia.