Context Of Development Research Articles

Longitudinal Associations Between Friendship Ethnic/Racial Composition and Ethnic/Racial Identity: The Role of School Ethnic/Racial Diversity.

Schools and friendships represent important but distinct contexts for adolescent identity development. However, research has yet to explore the long-term interplay between these factors on ethnic/racial identity (ERI). This study included a sample of 640 adolescents from 9 public high schools in a diverse United States metropolis (Mage = 14.50, SD = 0.67; 44% Asian, 20% Black, 36% Latinx; female = 68%, male = 32%, non-binary = 0%). Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to investigate longitudinal associations in friendship ethnic/racial composition and ERI exploration. From the 9th-11th grades, same-race friends and ERI exploration increased linearly whereas friendship ethnic/racial diversity decreased linearly. Adolescents attending more ethnically/racially diverse schools maintained more ethnically/racially diverse friends over time but did not differ in changes in ERI exploration compared to adolescents in less diverse schools. There was no association between the rates at which adolescents' friendship ethnic/racial composition and ERI changed over time. More ethnically/racially diverse friends in the 9th-grade predicted faster increases in subsequent ERI exploration. The findings highlight important differences in the roles of friendship and school contexts on ERI, suggesting that friendship ethnic/racial diversity, but not school ethnic/racial diversity, facilitated ERI exploration over time. School ethnic/racial diversity did facilitate a slower decline in friendship ethnic/racial diversity, emphasizing the importance of school integration.

Review of national rare disease strategies: innovation driving change

Abstract Background A rare disease affects fewer than 5 in 10,000 people. More than 6,000 known rare diseases affect up to 6% of the European population. A national rare disease strategy sets out a country’s plan to reduce disease burden and improve quality of care for people with rare diseases. This review, requested by the Department of Health in Ireland to inform a new national strategy, described national rare disease strategies in 13 selected countries. Methods Strategies published from 2013 to 2023 were identified via online searches for Austria, Australia, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Portugal, Scotland and Wales. National representatives were contacted to confirm the identified resources. Data were extracted for the domains of: aims, priorities, implementation, governance and funding models. Descriptive analysis and narrative synthesis was undertaken. Results Improving treatment and coordination of care was a common overall aim. Priorities noted in all strategies were: screening and diagnosis; access to healthcare and coordination of services; rare disease research; and patient representation and empowerment. Implementation details varied to reflect the national context and time of strategy development. More recently-developed strategies included more precise actions and greater emphasis on innovations in genomics than older strategies. Strategies were developed, implemented, monitored and evaluated via combinations of newly-established bodies and or existing health authorities. Six countries did not specify a funding model or dedicated budget for strategy implementation. Conclusions National rare disease strategy contents and implementation approaches varied between countries and reflected innovations over time. This review will inform the development of Ireland’s new national rare disease strategy. Key messages • This review provided insights into national rare disease strategies over a 10-year period. • The findings will inform strategy development in Ireland, and are relevant to other countries.

“You and me”: Parental perceptions on asymmetry in twins' development and their dominance relationship dynamics

AbstractObjectiveThis study investigated the role of nontypical development in the relative dominance in twins' relationships throughout childhood.BackgroundDominance dynamics, affecting siblings' well‐being, are different in twins than in singletons for whom age and development often dictate sibling hierarchy. These dynamics in twins, who share similar ages and developmental contexts, remain underexplored and demand further understanding.MethodA longitudinal study surveyed 1,547 mothers and 536 fathers of 322 monozygotic (sharing nearly 100% genes) and 1,199 dizygotic (sharing 50% genetic variance) twin pairs, aged 3 to 8–9. Both parents reported on the twins' relationships. Mothers reported whether either twin had a developmental condition.ResultsNo dominance difference was found in similar developmental conditions dyads, whether both twins had typical or nontypical development. However, in dyads where twins differed in the developmental condition, nontypically developing twins were less dominant than their typically developing cotwins. This dominance imbalance persisted throughout childhood, even if initial developmental issues were resolved.ConclusionFrom parents' perspectives, nontypical development does not, in itself, prevent children from demonstrating dominance behaviors in twinship, but it is more likely that the asymmetry in developmental conditions is associated with the relationship between the twins.Implications and RecommendationsAccording to parents' perceptions, twins with nontypical development might experience imbalances in their relationship throughout childhood when their co‐twin is a typically developing child. However, demonstrating dominance might be possible for them in other contexts. Understanding these dominance dynamics is vital for caregivers, informing tailored parenting strategies and interventions to support the well‐being of children.

Risk Management in Internet Consumer Finance: A Case Study of Douyin Monthly Pay

Abstract: This study aims to explore risk management in internet consumer finance, taking Douyin Monthly Pay as a case study for in-depth analysis. Risk management is particularly crucial with the rapid development of internet consumer finance. By studying the current situation of risk management in Douyin Monthly Pay, some problems and challenges can be found. This study puts forward some suggestions and conclusions through detailed case analysis. Through this research, the risk management practice in Internet consumer finance can be better understood, providing valuable references and insights for related enterprises. Given the current context of internet consumer finance development, the importance of risk management is self-evident. Through the Douyin Monthly Pay case study, specific operations and risk management challenges can be thoroughly understood, guiding the industry toward future development. The conclusions and recommendations of this study can offer certain references and insights for relevant enterprises in risk management, promoting the healthy development of the industry.

Ontogenetic correlates, not direct adaptation, explain the evolution of stelar morphology.

The primary vascular system of plants (the stele) has attracted interest from paleobotanists, developmental biologists, systematists, and physiologists for nearly two centuries. Ferns, with their diverse stelar morphology, deep evolutionary history, and prominent fossil record, have been a major focus in studies of the stele. To explain the diversity of stelar morphology, past adaptive hypotheses have invoked biomechanics, hydraulics, and drought tolerance as key selection pressures in the evolution of stelar complexity; but, these hypotheses often isolate the stele from a whole-plant developmental context, ignoring potential covariation between vascular patterning and shoot morphology. Furthermore, incongruence between expected patterns and observed data challenge adaptive hypotheses, precluding a comprehensive explanation of stelar evolution. While ontogeny has been previously recognized as a factor in stelar diversification, it has not been fully integrated into a comprehensive framework. Here we synthesize 150-years of research on stelar morphology, incorporating developmental, physiological, and phylogenetic data to present the ontogenetic hypothesis of stelar evolution. This hypothesis posits that stelar morphology is an integrated feature of whole-plant ontogeny, not a trait shaped by direct selection for adaptive patterns. This shift in perspective provides an updated framework for understanding the determinants of stelar morphology and focusses future efforts to ask more incisive questions about the evolution and function of primary vascular architecture.

Research on the Integration of Lingnan Culture into “Four Histories” Education for Hong Kong Youth

This study focuses on Hong Kong youth, recognizing them as a vital subject within the context of “four histories” education. From the perspective of the integration of Lingnan culture, it explores the rich resources of Lingnan culture, innovates the narrative system, and explores the path of positive guidance in history education. Responding to the demands of the times, it seeks to alleviate the pressing concerns of Hong Kong society, help Hong Kong youth break down prejudices, gain a comprehensive understanding of China, grasp the development context of modern China, recognize historical trends, undertake national responsibilities, and take on the mission of the times.

The interdisciplinary training academy for integrated substance/opioid use disorder prevention and health care: A qualitative look at a new remote field education model.

The opioid syndemic presents a critical need for effective interprofessional training in health care, especially in behavioral health disciplines. Addressing this need, the Interdisciplinary Training Academy for Integrated Substance/Opioid Use Disorder Prevention and Health care (ITA) was developed to provide adaptable educational experiences for emerging behavioral health professionals. This study, reflecting years 2020-2023, explored the experiences and perspectives of ITA fellows regarding interprofessional collaboration and opioid workforce development, focusing on how these elements are integrated. After conducting focus groups, we employed applied thematic analysis to qualitatively analyze the experiences of ITA fellows (11 women and six men; 41% Hispanic/Latino and 59% White; 14 Master of Social Work students and three psychology postdoctoral fellows). This method allowed for a detailed exploration of their perceptions and the nuances of their learning process within the context of opioid workforce development. The findings indicated that fellows' learning processes were adaptive, evolving over time to meet their changing needs. Initially, fellows faced challenges related to role clarity and process understanding. However, they reported significant professional growth as the program progressed, highlighting the effectiveness of the ITA's interprofessional approach in a remote learning setting. The study emphasizes the need for ongoing research to identify and overcome barriers to effective interprofessional collaboration. The results contribute insights into the role of remote field education in preparing future health care professionals to address complex health crises effectively. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

‘Squeezing in’: body, affect, infrastructure and everyday passenger mobilities in contemporary China

This article explores the entanglements of bodies, affects and infrastructures that give shape to the experiences, practices and sense-making of everyday mobilities among metro passengers in contemporary China. Building on the affective turn and infrastructural turn, this paper argues that passengering is an affectively charged and infrastructurally mediated process of forming and negotiating mobile subjectivities. Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations, this paper demonstrates how ‘squeezing in’ is a core space-making practice among Chinese passengers that involves not only acquiring bodily skills, habits, and tactics but also engaging in affective capacities to negotiate modes of feeling and affective relations on the move. Moreover, situating the analysis in the specific context of infrastructural development and citizenship cultivation in contemporary China, this paper reveals how the norms, regulations and practices of ‘good ridership’ is closely entangled with the narrative of ‘quality citizenship’ in post-reform China. This paper thus enriches existing literature on passenger mobilities through providing new empirical insights and conceptual contemplation on what it means to be a passenger.

Selective utilization of glucose metabolism guides mammalian gastrulation

The prevailing dogma for morphological patterning in developing organisms argues that the combined inputs of transcription factor networks and signalling morphogens alone generate spatially and temporally distinct expression patterns. However, metabolism has also emerged as a critical developmental regulator1–10, independent of its functions in energy production and growth. The mechanistic role of nutrient utilization in instructing cellular programmes to shape the in vivo developing mammalian embryo remains unknown. Here we reveal two spatially resolved, cell-type- and stage-specific waves of glucose metabolism during mammalian gastrulation by using single-cell-resolution quantitative imaging of developing mouse embryos, stem cell models and embryo-derived tissue explants. We identify that the first spatiotemporal wave of glucose metabolism occurs through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway to drive fate acquisition in the epiblast, and the second wave uses glycolysis to guide mesoderm migration and lateral expansion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that glucose exerts its influence on these developmental processes through cellular signalling pathways, with distinct mechanisms connecting glucose with the ERK activity in each wave. Our findings underscore that—in synergy with genetic mechanisms and morphogenic gradients—compartmentalized cellular metabolism is integral in guiding cell fate and specialized functions during development. This study challenges the view of the generic and housekeeping nature of cellular metabolism, offering valuable insights into its roles in various developmental contexts.

Optimizing Urban Technological Innovation through GGFs: A Systemic and Spatial Analysis

The implementation of the Government Guides Funds (GGFs) policy by China’s government plays an important role in guiding domestic private capital to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship activities. This study empirically analyzed the impact of GGFs in facilitating the domestic optimization process of urban innovation in China. Based on panel data from 285 cities from 2008 to 2021, this study uses the Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) to verify the impact of GGFs on urban innovation and its mechanism. The findings reveal that GGFs exert a positive influence on the urban innovation of both the immediate regions and the neighboring areas of the policy-origin city. The effectiveness of GGFs varies geographically, with more pronounced spatial spillover impacts observed in the eastern regions of China. Further research shows that industrial upgrading amplifies the direct impact of GGFs on urban innovation, while its indirect effectiveness is not significant. Finally, based on empirical findings, this study also underscores the necessity of local governments in tailoring the management of GGFs to local conditions and promoting sustainable urban innovation and regional development. Our findings provide noteworthy implications for governmental administrators and regulators in promoting the systemic optimization of GGFs operations within the context of sustainable urban development.

Unraveling the global economic and mortality effects of rising urban heat island intensity

The increasing severity of urban heat island (UHI) effects poses a significant concern in cities, where to over half of the world's population lives. We examine the pattern of surface UHI intensity (SUHII) and its effect on urban economic productivity and mortality across 171 countries from 2003 to 2018. Countries with heavy industrial/manufacturing bases and higher income levels face more significant economic repercussions from SUHII. Males experience higher mortality rates under comparable SUHII conditions. A unit increase in GNI correlates to a 23.2 % rise in SUHII's effect on GDP and a 5.5 % increase in its effect on mortality rate. A higher Socio-Demographic Index mitigates SUHII's impact on urban GDP. Moreover, the Gini index directly impacts SUHII more than it affects SUHII-related mortality through inequality. Reducing income inequality by one unit will increase the enhancing effect of SUHII on the mortality rate by 11.8 %. Our findings reveal a significant link between wealth disparity and amplified health risks associated with SUHII, potentially leading to new forms of urban inequality. The study highlights the importance of development status and economic composition in facing UHI-related challenges and recommends equitable strategies for policymakers and urban planners to mitigate UHI effects in diverse developmental contexts.

Desirability in Real-World Blended Care for Psychosis: Insights from the Development and Pilot Study of Digital NAVIGATE

<p>Blended care, a psychosocial intervention merging face-to-face therapy with digital tools, holds significant potential for enhancing psychosis treatment outcomes by extending access and increasing patient engagement with therapeutic materials. Recent blended care interventions for psychosis were solely developed within controlled research conditions, and an attempt to transition one of these interventions into real-world practice yielded inadequate engagement and effectiveness. This suggests that the development context of blended care may significantly impact its implementation potential. This study represents the first attempt to both develop and research a blended care intervention in a real-world setting, directly addressing the specific challenges and unmet needs within NAVIGATE, a coordinated speciality care program for individuals who have experienced a first-episode psychosis. Both clients and practitioners agreed on the potential benefits of integrating digital tools into NAVIGATE, and clients expressed a willingness to adopt them once available. However, when the digital program became available, clients' actual desire to incorporate it into their usual care was unexpectedly low. We observed a strong correlation between clients' expressed desire to use Digital NAVIGATE before engaging with it and their subsequent engagement with the digital tools. These findings highlight a distinction between clients’ attitudes towards digital tools adaptation before being offered to use them, and their actual intention and desire to utilize such tools during the treatment they receive. These findings underscore the need to reassess current frameworks for developing and implementing digital mental health tools, particularly within existing mental health programs.</p>

Analysis of Socio-economic Variables Impacting Poverty Alleviation in Regional Development: A Case Study in Deli Serdang Regency, Indonesia

This study analyzes the impact of macro socio-economic variables on poverty alleviation within the context of regional development in North Sumatra Province from 2019 to 2023. The socio-economic variables examined include economic growth, average years of schooling, life expectancy, and the open unemployment rate. The research employs a panel data regression approach using the Fixed Effect Model, selected based on Chow and Hausman test results, to determine the best model fit. The findings reveal that economic growth, average years of schooling, and life expectancy have significant negative effects on poverty reduction, indicating that improvements in these areas help alleviate poverty. Conversely, the open unemployment rate shows a significant positive effect on poverty levels, suggesting that higher unemployment exacerbates poverty. The model explains 99% of the variation in poverty (R² = 0.990), indicating a high explanatory power. Based on these results, the study recommends the implementation of inclusive economic policies focusing on boosting economic growth, improving educational access, enhancing healthcare systems, and creating job opportunities to effectively reduce poverty. Additionally, further research with broader geographical coverage and more refined methods is necessary to enrich the understanding of poverty determinants in different regional contexts.

The impact of executive team competency-sharing degree on firm innovation performance

In China’s high-quality development context, the key role of executive teams in corporate innovation is increasingly prominent. However, effectively utilizing the synergistic effect of competencies within these teams to boost innovation performance remains a crucial research issue. A sample of 2,350 companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares from 2010 to 2022 was used to examine the impact of the executive team’s capability-sharing degree on firm innovation performance. The study indicates that the degree of managerial competence sharing, entrepreneurial competence sharing, and technological competence sharing within the executive team positively impacts firm innovation performance. These findings remain robust in the face of variations in dependent variable measures, lagged independent variables, and the propensity score matching method. Environmental dynamism is identified as playing a positive moderating role in the relationship between the influence of managerial, entrepreneurial, and technological capability-sharing degrees and firm innovation performance. Further analysis of heterogeneity reveals that the impact of the executive team’s capability-sharing degree on firms’ innovation performance varies based on the nature of property rights, firm size, and industry competitiveness. This study, grounded in top-level ladder theory, offers a framework for enhancing team capabilities and overcoming growth obstacles through executive team competence sharing.

Blood-generating heart-forming organoids recapitulate co-development of the human haematopoietic system and the embryonic heart.

Despite the biomedical importance of haematopoietic stem cells and haematopoietic progenitor cells, their in vitro stabilization in a developmental context has not been achieved due to limited knowledge of signals and markers specifying the multiple haematopoietic waves as well as ethically restricted access to the human embryo. Thus, an in vitro approach resembling aspects of haematopoietic development in the context of neighbouring tissues is of interest. Our established human pluripotent stem cell-derived heart-forming organoids (HFOs) recapitulate aspects of heart, vasculature and foregut co-development. Modulating HFO differentiation, we here report the generation of blood-generating HFOs. While maintaining a functional ventricular-like heart anlagen, blood-generating HFOs comprise a mesenchyme-embedded haemogenic endothelial layer encompassing multiple haematopoietic derivatives and haematopoietic progenitor cells with erythro-myeloid and lymphoid potential, reflecting aspects of primitive and definitive haematopoiesis. The model enables the morphologically structured co-development of cardiac, endothelial and multipotent haematopoietic tissues equivalent to the intra-embryonic haematopoietic region in vivo, promoting research on haematopoiesis in vitro.

A Preliminary Study of Context Integration as A Determinant in The Effectiveness of Digital Mathematics Games

Contexts in the digital learning environment are one of the crucial components regarding students’ motivation and positive attitude development toward content. Although there is not enough guiding information in the literature about how contexts should be, previous research has shown that even digital game contexts are effective in developing students’ environmental awareness. To reveal the impact of contexts in the digital learning environment, it is necessary to consider the variables regarding the socio-economic and cultural status of the students. Therefore, it can be envisaged that the effect of digital game contexts may differ depending on students’ experiences and social environments. For this purpose, digital games were designed in two different contexts in this research. In these digital games, two opposite contexts were selected. The first context was focused on saving nature and green energy. This context includes different levels of digital games on topics such as solar energy, reforestation, and clean water sources. The second context was focused on unregulated industrial development that negatively affects nature by ignoring it. This context includes different levels of digital games such as building thermal power plants, building chemical factories, and turning forests into fields. Apart from the contexts, the other variables in both games (i.e., gameplay, artistic structure, levels of problem parameters) are the same. At each game level, students were asked to solve mathematical problems regarding ratio-proportion. In this study, the preliminary findings, which were derived from a large experimental study, were presented. The participants of this study were 15 gifted eighth-grade students from Turkey. Among the participants, eight students played the digital game regarding the context of green energy, and the remaining seven students played the digital game regarding the context of unregulated industrial development. Preliminary findings showed that students were more interested in the digital game regarding the context of unregulated industrial development as it included interesting and beneficial topics such as energy generation and economic development. The resident perception of the citizens regarding the acute need for energy generation and economic development rather than saving nature and green energy since Turkey represents a developing country may explain this finding.

History in context: teaching the history of dentistry with rare materials.

History and health humanities instruction offers a framework for professional students to examine the arc and development of their profession as well as develop cultural competencies. Exploring ideas, themes, and health care practices and approaches through historical instruction can show students how culture influences health care and practice, therefore providing a context for further development of cultural competence skills. This case report describes a collaboration among a dentistry course instructor, a liaison librarian, and curators of a rare book collection. Working together, this team offers an active learning class that examines the historical arc of the dental profession. We aim to have students use primary source materials to examine the experiences, research, and narratives of their profession. Using a World Cafe with thematic tables allows students to safely examine rare materials and artifacts and have meaningful conversations about themes that are critical to dentistry's past, present, and future. Students reported that engaging with artifacts and historical materials provided a different way to understand history and enhanced their learning experience. Engaging students in this work builds critical thinking skills that are essential to evidence-based practice.

Moving toward a time‐based and balanced quality of life

AbstractCurrent complex life conditions and changing developmental contexts draw attention to the concept of capabilities, the various combinations of functions a person can do or can be, and the opportunities to achieve them. A future‐oriented time perspective is a dimension along which individuals express meaning‐making of experiences and expectations regarding their lives, a benchmark for the well‐being and satisfaction of the quality of life they experience. Findings from research studies involving adults with disabilities and family members of persons with a disability provide evidence for a time‐based model, an approach tapping into both the concept and measurement of quality of life and balancing both current and expected quality of life.

Public Private Partnership and Financial Implication to Government: A Case Study from Malaysia

The implementation of infrastructure projects through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) that involve investments from the private sector has greatly benefited the country. Apart from being an alternative to conventional public infrastructure projects, PPP is also said to be a more efficient method as the risk of project implementation is transferred to the private partner. Even with these advantages, it cannot escape criticism, especially the implementation of PPP projects which involve financial implications to the government. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the Malaysian government's experience in the implementation of PPP projects especially regarding its financial implication issue and how the Malaysian government addresses the issue. A total of 29 officers from several government agencies were interviewed. The interview transcripts were analyzed using ATLAS. Ti application. Apart from contributing a theory regarding PPP, the results of this study have provided new knowledge on PPP, especially Malaysia's experience in dealing with financial commitment issues arising from the implementation of PPP projects. Although the context of development in other countries may differ, this Malaysian experience can be used as an example for PPP practitioners in planning PPP projects elsewhere.

Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Pakat dengan Model PBL pada Materi Sepuluh Perintah Allah Kelas IV SD Santa Veronika Pekanbaru

This study aims to examine the improvement of cognitive and affective learning outcomes in the creative dimension through the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model among students at Santa Veronika Elementary School in Pekanbaru. The research is based on the issue of students' diverse religious backgrounds, which makes it difficult for them to understand the context and relevance of the Ten Commandments in everyday life. Additionally, the monotonous teaching methods contribute to low interest and poor learning outcomes. There is also a need to enhance students' social skills and piety towards God within the context of Catholic Religious Education (PAK) and character development. This research is a classroom action research consisting of four steps: planning, implementation, observation, and reflection in each cycle. The study was conducted over two cycles at Santa Veronika Elementary School in Pekanbaru, with fourth-grade students learning about the Ten Commandments as a guide for life. The study took place in September 2024. Data collection techniques included learning outcome tests and affective observation rubrics that assess the dimensions of faith, piety towards God, noble character, and teamwork. The data analysis was conducted using quantitative descriptive techniques. The results of the first cycle showed an improvement in students' learning outcomes and involvement, but the target was not fully achieved. In the second cycle, there was a significant increase in both learning outcomes and students' affective engagement. The study demonstrated a 30% increase in learning outcomes and student participation in PAK lessons. This research is expected to provide solutions to the low learning outcomes in Catholic Religious Education, particularly in the subject of the Ten Commandments for fourth-grade students at Santa Veronika Elementary School in Pekanbaru.