Contemporary Digital Technologies Research Articles

The relationship between identity development and medical students’ performance in technology-integrated English language classrooms

Background: Contemporary technologies have created a unique set of circumstances that shape the life experiences and identities of medical students. These circumstances diverge and extend beyond the contexts experienced by previous generations in the pre-digital era. Methods: We explored how medical students’ identity development and English language performance were related in technology-integrated classrooms from February to June 2023. The research, a cross-sectional quantitative survey, studied 450 medical students at Islamic Azad University of Kerman, Iran. The study, a cross-sectional quantitative survey, was conducted on 450 medical students at the Islamic Azad University of Kerman, Iran. To collect the data, an identity development questionnaire in technology-integrated classrooms was submitted to participants either in person or via email. Data were collected using an identity development questionnaire in technology-integrated classrooms, and distributed to participants in person or via email. Furthermore, the participants’ English language proficiency scores reported by their English instructors were used to assess their English language performance. Results: The study found a positive correlation between identity development, its sub-scales, and the participants’ English language performance in technology-integrated classrooms. Commitment-making emerged as the most efficacious factor in predicting English Language Proficiency within the ambit of identity development. Within the scope of identity development, commitment-making was identified as the most effective factor in predicting English language proficiency. Conclusion: While contemporary digital technologies are not crucial for identity formation, they offer enriched opportunities for individuals to explore and express their sense of self. Particularly in the medical field, students can utilize these technologies to engage in diverse and collaborative interactions. This not only allows them to connect with others and participate in various communication modes, but also aids in the expression of their identity, idea exchange, and information acquisition across various contexts.

Development of Soft Skills in Future Preschool Teachers Using ICT in Their Professional Training

The study explores enhancing future preschool teachers’ training by developing soft skills through information and communication technologies. A proprietary method was devised, incorporating Mentimeter, Kahoot, and other digital tools across three stages. Evaluation employed J. Phillips’ model and various coefficients. Notably, critical thinking (0.92), creativity (0.90), competitiveness (0.87), and social competence (0.84) improved. Organizational skills were well developed (74%), impacting original content delivery. Using J. Phillips’ model, high performance was observed in both preschoolers (Group 1) and students (Group 2). This method showcases potential for optimizing education through digital tools. Future research might assess contemporary digital technologies’ effectiveness in cultivating soft skills among future teachers.

Primena veštačke inteligencije u digitalnom marketingu

Contemporary digital technologies have significantly influenced the transformation of marketing activities in companies over the past decade. Artificial intelligence is considered one of the most disruptive modern technologies. Their implementation is the most significant challenge of digital marketing. Artificial intelligence can automate customer service, generate content, and enable targeted ad campaigns. The problem identified by the authors is that smaller companies and entrepreneurs lack the necessary knowledge and understanding of artificial intelligence techniques that could enhance digital marketing strategies. By reviewing current literature, this paper aims to explain the digital marketing strategies and the role and place of various artificial intelligence techniques for their improvement. In line with the defined goal, the paper presents three case studies on industry giants-Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Nike-illustrating successful implementations of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques in their digital marketing.

Assessing the Proficiency and Factors Influencing Public High School Science Teachers’ Video Editing and Production Skills for Enhanced Instructional Presentations

In the rapidly evolving landscape of twenty-first-century education, the integration of contemporary digital technologies is pivotal for effective teaching. This research investigates the proficiency of public high school science teachers in video editing and production skills, particularly amidst the challenges posed by the ongoing pandemic. The study assesses attitudes, perceptions, and actual skills in video editing, identifying challenges and contributing insights for professional development. Aligned with the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Generative Learning Theory, the research explores the advantages of multimedia in meaningful learning. While positive attitudes are evident, a significant gap in actual skills is revealed, varying with factors such as age, educational attainment, and length of service. Recommendations include targeted interventions, training programs, and equipping schools with digital tools to enhance science education through effective multimedia integration. Addressing these challenges is crucial for fostering a conducive learning environment,

Future Prospects and Challenges in Additive Manufacturing for Complete Dentures: A Narrative Review

The utilization of computer-assisted design and computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques in the creation of complete dentures (CDs) has piqued the interest of many people. This article seeks to provide a comprehensive, critical, and objective analysis of the current knowledge of CDs and related technology. The aim of this study is to assess existing literature concerning 3D-printed complete dentures, covering aspects like innovative biomaterials, manufacturing methods and processes, workflow, and clinical effectiveness. The design of the current study included an initial review of 172 titles, an appraisal of abstracts, and finally a selection of articles for rigorous textual analysis. Inconsistencies discovered throughout the selection process were amicably resolved through discourse, culminating in the identification of 65 items. The publications retrieved from a thorough search of the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases spanned the years 1994 to 2023. Contemporary digital technology provides evident advantages, but its successful incorporation necessitates meticulous preparation. In the realm of dental healthcare, the digital workflow showcases versatility and a range of applications.

Improvement of meat product traceability system using digital technologies

This research work addresses the issue of enhancing the effectiveness of the meat product traceability system using modern digital technologies. In the context of increasing demand for food safety and minimizing risks to consumer health, ensuring accurate and reliable traceability of the origin, production conditions, and storage of meat products has become a crucial aspect. The aim of the study is to create an integration between the meat product traceability system and contemporary digital technologies. During the work, an analysis of existing problems and shortcomings in the current traceability system is planned, as well as an exploration of experiences from other industries where digital technologies have been successfully implemented to ensure transparency and data authenticity. In analyzing technological risks, all possible types of threats were considered. The sources of danger include incoming raw materials, the technological line of semi-smoked sausages, and their storage. The use of digital technologies allows for continuous data monitoring using Wi-Fi, combined thermometers, and quality logs. It is anticipated that the implementation of such a system will significantly reduce risks, improve product tracking, and enhance consumer trust in the quality and safety of meat products. The outcomes of this research will be valuable for food industry enterprises, regulatory bodies, and the scientific community that are striving to improve the control and traceability system of food products, utilizing cutting-edge digital innovations.

Digitalization of accounting: advantages and challenges in the era of digital technologies

Introduction. In the conditions of the development of society and the transition of enterprises to the information type of economy, there is a need to generate ideas, and creative thinking of personnel, release innovative products, increase the company's intangible assets, and create a positive image as a basis for ensuring the development of entrepreneurial skills. Therefore, the issue of the formation and development of entrepreneurial competencies in the modern conditions of digitalization of the economy is gaining special importance and relevance. The driving force of the digital economy is the demand for innovative digital technologies, which today are used in completely different spheres of social and economic life. Digital transformation of a business, which is a transformation through the revision of its business strategy, models, operations, goals, marketing approaches, and products through the adoption of digital technologies, is impossible without the implementation of digital technologies in the development of the accounting system. However, the digitalization of accounting opens not only new opportunities for enterprises but also creates additional risks. The purpose of the paper is to specify the advantages and disadvantages of using digital technologies in accounting. Results. The conducted research has allowed defining the essence of digitization and outlining the possibilities of its application for the development of accounting in modern Ukrainian enterprises. The state of utilization of contemporary digital technologies in the context of accounting has been diagnosed. The opportunities provided by the implementation of modern digital technologies in the field of accounting have been specified, and the risks associated with the use of such technologies have been identified. The obtained results can be useful for enterprise managers to substantiate the possible directions of digitization of accounting, taking into account the advantages and disadvantages outlined in the paper. Conclusions. The key conclusion from the study is a generalization of the advantages and disadvantages of digitization of accounting. Accordingly, the automation of manual work and optimization of data storage are the main advantages, and the high cost of implementation and provision of technical support is a disadvantage.

Simondon, Control and the Digital Domain

Deleuze put forth a description of fluid control in computerized society in his text ‘Postscript on Control Societies’. With the help of the philosophy of Gilbert Simondon, we can broaden and complexify this view and understand digital systems through the concept of modulation. These modulatory systems intervene in human individuation by controlling individuals as ‘dividuals’. In contemporary digital technologies, like blockchain platforms, the modulatory dividual control can be fierce and even total. Simondon’s concepts of pre-individual, individuation, and transindividuation present us with an ontology for this contemporary mode of control and enable us to better understand the complex relations between the being of humans and technical networks.

Leveraging Contemporary Digital Technologies to Monitor and Treat Sleep Difficulties in Bipolar Disorder: A Review

Sleep disturbances (eg, insomnia, hypersomnia, poor sleep quality) are a prominent feature of bipolar disorder (BD). Furthermore, sleep difficulties are present across all phases of BD, including euthymia, and these difficulties contribute to the risk and maintenance of depressive and (hypo)manic episodes. Although existing pharmacological and psychosocial treatments offer hope for ameliorating sleep difficulties in BD, conventional treatments are limited in their ability to accurately capture detailed sleep patterns, detect early onset of sleep difficulties, and deliver personalized interventions. Widely accessible contemporary digital technologies show promise for mitigating these limitations and advancing sleep treatment for individuals with BD. We summarize and synthesize research examining the use of three digital tools for sleep assessment and intervention in BD: smartphone applications, ecological momentary assessment, and actigraphy. We also discuss the benefits, risks, and limitations of these technologies. [ Psychiatr Ann . 2023;53(11):496–501.]

The Dialectical Sociology of Michel Freitag and the Critique of Communication Society

Michel Freitag developed a ground-breaking sociological theory synthesizing the thought of sociology’s founders into the form of a dialectical sociology that conceives of the symbolic as ontological to social reality. After outlining his conceptualization of the historical evolution of society through its ‘modes of reproduction’, we will see how his analysis of contemporary societal transformations rests on a critical theory of communication and technology that, while entering a dialogue with the works of the Frankfurt school, especially those of Habermas, seeks to overcome their inherent contradictions. According to Freitag, the development of capitalist globalization alters the very substance of society as it tends to morph itself into a self-regulating cybernetic system. His sociology allows us to apprehend phenomena tied to the development of contemporary digital technologies such as the drive towards a new form of algorithmic governmentality fueled by digital oligopolies that increasingly dominate globalized capitalism, the rise of fake news in the era of post-truth and the transformation of subjectivity. Finally, his critique enables potent reflection on the dialectical possibilities of overcoming the dynamics of contemporary alienation.

Posthumous Popularity; Fathoming Vincent van Gogh through Select Biofictions

This paper studies a few fictional representations of Vincent van Gogh in contemporary biofiction. The objective of this research is to analyse the life of a genius artist and his posthumous popularity by using the transmedia storytelling technique. Vincent Willem van Gogh, a Dutch painter who lived between 1853 and 1890, is widely regarded as one of the best exponents of post-impressionism. His eccentric life has been a perpetual obsession for creators to fictionally recreate him periodically after his disastrous end in the past hundred years. The paper captures three fictionalised biographical texts in the form of a novel, an animated movie and a documentary that transgress genre boundaries and renegotiate the relationship between historical facts and fiction. Throughout the 21st century, biographical materials, whether they are based on fact or fiction, have made significant contributions to this legend. The sources of the study pivot on three of van Gogh`s biofictions within film and literature; the novel Leaving van Gogh (2011) by Carol Wallace, the documentary Van Gogh: Painted with Words (2010) directed by Andrew Hutton and Loving Vincent (2017), a movie directed by Dorota Kobiela. The creators have taken artistic liberties by altering the stories with more engaging narratives as a way of rewriting the portrayal of the artist through fiction. Biofiction is a category of life writing that includes fictitious biographies and is typically a metafictional narrative in which a biographical subject is the protagonist or plays a significant role in the plot. Transmedia storytelling is an approach to integrating contemporary digital technology to communicate a cohesive narrative across several platforms and mediums. By utilising intermediary allusions and formal imitative techniques, van Gogh`s art, as well as the fundamental principles of artistic creation and his ubiquitous presence in contemporary times are explored.

Kinwork revisited: The gendered work of keeping up with family through communication technology

Kinwork is the maintenance of cross-household kin and family ties through both physical and mediated means and is a type of unpaid labour historically performed by women. However, changing gender norms, new communicative practices such as networked individualism, and internet and communication technologies are changing how kinwork is done. This study explores how these changes affect the gendered nature of kinwork. Swedes from multigenerational, cross-household families residing in Sweden and the United States took part in primarily home-based interviews (n=40). This empirical study explores current practices of kinwork, focusing on three empirical cases, Christmas cards for seasonal greetings, phone calls for birthday well-wishes, and digital communication for everyday contact. Results highlight how kinwork in the sample is performed by both men and women through a wide range of communication technologies. The study shows that due to new gendered norms, women in the younger generations are less willing to do kinwork for men than older generations in the same kinship networks, indicating generational differences rather than family differences. In the study, men use new internet and communication technology to both do and sometimes take responsibility for kinwork while older communication technologies retain a feminine coding, sometimes resulting in abandonment. Contemporary digital communication technology supports a shift to individual communication rather than group-based which further supports men’s increased engagement in kinwork. The study concludes that kinwork in the studied sample is performed by both men and women and that contemporary kinwork can only be understood by looking at the complex entanglements of evolving gender equality norms, trends towards more individual communication patterns, and affordances of communication technology. Together these result in new ways and opportunities for doing kinwork, which becomes less the work of women and more the work of networked individuals, whatever gender.

Female Coming of Age: A Content Analysis Approach of Digital Humanities in Joyce Carol Oates’s Mudwoman (2012)

This study explores the theoretical basis and ways to realize the integration of contemporary digital technology and literary research, and looks forward to the analysis of the application of digital literary research by using Joyce Carol Oates’s novel Mudwoman (2012). The novel expresses great concern for the social crisis and the spiritual dilemma of human beings in contemporary America through the observation of the daily life of individuals in America. The previous research results of Mudwoman tend to make subjective judgments by traditional literary research methods, lacking relevant data support and innovative research perspectives and methods. In this study, we analyze the text of Mudwoman with a combination of content analysis based on digital humanities perspective. The results of this study reveal that M.R.’s coming of age is a path of identity search. In general, M.R. experiences childhood abandonment and kinship alienation, and the construction of her self-identity is fractured. It leads to the distress of interpersonal interactions in adulthood, aggravating her identity crisis. But with the help of kinship, she faces her past and predicament, returns to her spiritual home, reconciles with her past, and thus achieves the reconstruction of her identity.

Green food transformation systems: Role of young people in engagement and digital literacy

Food and agriculture systems have been under pressure due to climate change. Food production and consumption are known to cause up to one-third of climate impact as they occupy a large part of land for animal feeding and a significant amount of food is wasted. To reduce climate impact, therefore, food systems need to incorporate constructive approaches. These include aspects of production, distribution, consumption and disposal. It requires new digital insight and capacity-building to interpret the changes. Schools can provide an excellent arena for these changes because of their infrastructure and wide reach in society. Against this backdrop, the Sense, Science and the Magic of Food (SESAM) programme set out to study whether learning about food systems transformation could be achieved by incorporating contemporary digital technologies. The SESAM programme took place in four elementary schools (teachers: n = 12, pupils: n = 300). We developed four learning stations with a food and cultivation theme, as well as digital themes such as a simple aquaponics plant with data collection sensors, a programmable robotized raised growing bed, an artificial light-driven vertical mini farm and an autonomous programmed drone-based delivery service. The report shows that the programme was able to create important learning around food systems transformation in a school setting and was perceived as a relevant route to Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDG). In particular, the strong focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning principles, project-based learning and the digital element was rated high. On the negative side, we found that teachers’ competencies are a crucial element and that a programme of this kind is time-consuming and needs the right type of external assistance if it was to be scaled up.

Automatic Systems after Marx

ABSTRACT This article foregrounds the relevance of Marx’s analysis of machines beyond 19th century industrial technology. Can a Marxian analysis shed light on the historical implications of contemporary digital technology and automation? The article proposes that “automatic systems,” an expression from volume 1 of Capital, could serve as the guiding conceptual tool for envisaging possible answers to this question. A close reading of mainly volume 1 of Capital, in addition to Marx’s preparatory notes for Capital, is presented in the second and main section of this article. The overarching argument is that contrary to claims otherwise, the foundation laid out in Capital provides us with a structural analysis that neither is technologically determinist nor denies the social significance of technological shifts as the material condition for class struggle. This argument will be preceded by a detailed and critical discussion of an ongoing debate in Marxist theory today, notably literature inspired by authors such as A. Negri and P. Virno. The article concludes with the relationship between knowledge and capital.

The Night Albums: Visibility and the Ephemeral Photograph

The Night Albums: Visibility and the Ephemeral Photograph

Research and analysis of the development of news film and television based on the integrated media environment

The expansion of the digital integration mode of contemporary digital cinema from creation to projection and the change of cinematic language both herald the breakthrough of technology once again and the opening of a new era of digital cinematic art. From the aesthetic point of view, digital cinema has overturned and dismantled some of the theoretical essentials and important concepts of traditional film aesthetics about film ontology, and the changes and progress of digital cinema’s generation principle, audiovisual environment and media properties have profoundly influenced film art creation and audiences’ aesthetic approach. Digital reproduction and regeneration can realistically simulate reality and transcend reality to construct the story world in film, forming a higher level of aesthetic composition and aesthetic concept. The innovation of film media and the transformation of digital film machines enable audiences to develop an embodied experience at a super close distance or without distance, thus falling into the “immersion of the here and now” and “playable story”. The digital anthropomorphic film phenomenon experience and the immersive viewing mode of multimedia sound and image have perfectly realized the freedom and transcendence of digital film aesthetic experience and become an important force to promote the development and evolution of film aesthetics. It is the original purpose of this dissertation to explore the relationship between digital film technology development and film aesthetic discourse under the new digital technology conditions, to sort out the aesthetic implications and aesthetic characteristics of digital films, to explain the film concepts and aesthetic issues in the digital era, and to try to complete the systematic construction of contemporary digital technology film aesthetics.

Application of Digital Technologies in Controlling Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl has been defined as an excessive conversion of rural land into urban land or excessive increase of the city beyond the optimal city size. Urban sprawl became a hot topic first in the United States, where the low-density city the problem emerged in the late 70s and early 80s. In Europe, urban sprawl wasn’t an issue until very recently, predominantly due to the structure of the European cities, which are traditionally more concentrated and densely populated, in contrast to the US cities. However, today we observe signs of urban sprawl in European cities, such as excessive decentralization, road congestion, lack of open space, overpopulation, etc. Recently urban city planners started using contemporary digital technologies to measure and control urban sprawl. This study discusses modern digital technologies used in present-day city planning.

Young people's identities in digital worlds

PurposeThis conceptual paper takes identity, digital technology, young people and education as a combined starting point and suggests how to research young people’s identity practices in and out of school. Today’s young people form their identities in a world that is increasingly imbued by digital technologies. What is evident too is that these technologies and the use of them are not restricted to one single context. Rather, digital technologies mediate multiple contexts simultaneously – to an extent where they collapse. This means that school and leisure time, public and private, digital and analog, virtual and material, time and place, social contexts and audiences, through digital technology, merge in various ways in young people’s identity practices and everyday life.Design/methodology/approachLittle is known about what identity practices in collapsing contexts means to young people in their lives and how educators and others can support them. Most studies to date investigate digital technology use as a discrete phenomenon and few studies concern young people’s identity practices in contexts, as they occur. In an increasingly digital world, where dependency on digital technologies continues this forms an urgent knowledge gap to bridge. In particular to guide educators, and others, who support young people as they live and learn through interconnected spaces in and out of school. The conceptual approach of this paper is of importance to better understand how to bridge this gap.FindingsThis paper suggests a research approach that extends previous research at the intersection of identity, young people, digital technology by outlining extended ways for thinking about identity in a digital world that can be useful for investigating identity as an existential practice, extending beyond identity representations, in conditions mediated by contemporary digital technologies and in collapsing contexts. What is also included are methodological considerations about researching young people, identity and technology as dynamic research objects, rendering a holistic approach.Research limitations/implicationsIt is a conceptual paper that addresses identity, digital technology, young people and education as a combined starting point to outline further research.Originality/valueThe Guided Tour Technique and Social Media Research is suggested as possible methodologies for holistic and ethically sensitive, empirical research on identity, digital technology, young people and education.

DIGITAL REVITALIZATION OF POPULAR PORT PRODUCTS

Restoring and revitalizing popular port products is a long-term process. The time workmanship for making a shirt by an experienced craftswoman lasts about from six to nine months. Various studies of the folk costume often require the restoration of the product. The need for restoration is imposed by: the analysis and study of the cooperation of embroidery elements with the form of product offered by shirts of different types; analysis and adaptation of the shape of the shirt to the conformation of the wearer; analysis of the form and assembly methods offered by the cut schemes; restoration of cut landmarks and schemes with immediate simulation on the mannequin of museum products (Republic of Moldova); analysis and adaptation of these products to carrier conformation parameters; identification of conformation parameters, etc. The advanced level of contemporary digital technologies allows us in reduced time to simulate the product form without waste accumulations and the destruction of raw material resources. In this work will be presented the results offered by the digital simulation of the products of folk costumes, vestiges of the cultural heritage from the Museum of History and Ethnography, Hancesti city. You also have the connection possibilities of digital technologies and technologies used in the manufacture of popular port products.