Interdisciplinary Focus Research Articles

Transforming Learning Orientations Through STEM Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is challenged by industries to incorporate business, engineering, and communication experiences to prepare students for workplace success. In this study, we outline an approach—the STEM Oriented Alliance for Research (SOAR)—to enhance student experience by offering interdisciplinary project-based learning (IPBL) for undergraduate students majoring in electrical engineering, communications, and marketing. We examined how students’ disciplinary and cooperative orientations toward learning shifted in response to their experiences in a semester-long interdisciplinary project-based learning experience with authentic industry outputs. Using a multi-method approach, we explored how interdisciplinary projects influenced student experiences in terms of five collaboration abilities: positive interdependence, accountability, promotive interaction, group processing, and social skills. Further, we observed a shift from fixed- to more growth-oriented mindsets, and from a primarily disciplinary to interdisciplinary focus for their future professional work. The outcomes of the SOAR project make clear that providing structure for professional cooperation on interdisciplinary projects can have profound effects on how students learn to cooperate and position themselves as learners. For most SOAR participants, the experience was deeply formative and contributed to their readiness to cooperate and learn within the interdisciplinary and STEM-oriented workforce.

How to meet coping strategies and preferences of children during invasive medical procedures: perspectives of healthcare professionals

Children with negative procedural experiences have an increased risk of fear and distress, with psychological consequences for subsequent procedures and future healthcare behaviors. Gaining control and feeling trust are important aspects for children to decrease fear. To enable professionals providing personal care during medical procedures, a systematic, evidence-based approach that supports children in expressing their preferences is needed. This study will gain insight into the experiences and needs of professionals involved in small invasive medical procedures to meet the coping strategies and preferences of children undergoing these procedures. A qualitative design was used to gain insight into professionals’ perspectives. Data were collected through online focus groups with various professionals involved in medical procedures, such as anesthetists, laboratory staff, nurses, and pediatricians. Five interdisciplinary focus groups, with a total of 32 participants, were held. One overarching theme was revealed: “Balancing between different actors within the context of the hospital.” Professionals reported they had to deal with different actors during a medical procedure: the child, the parent, the colleague, and themselves. Each actor had its own interests. They were aware of the child and parents’ priority to gain control and feel trust. Nevertheless, they perceive organizational and personal aspects that hinder addressing these needs. Conclusion: To provide personalized care, professionals experience balancing between the needs and interests of diverse actors during medical procedures. The findings underscore the importance of a policy supporting HCPs in integrating patient-centered care into practice through practical tools and training initiatives such as scenario training.What is Known:• Unresolved pain and stress arising from medical procedures can have significant short- and long-term impacts on children. Empowering children to gain control and fostering a sense of trust are crucial factors in reducing fear associated with medical procedures.• Children and parents expect to receive child-tailored care from professionals including respect for their own, unique needs, and boundaries. Professionals should build trustful relationships and provide appropriately tailored autonomy around medical procedures.What is New:• Healthcare professionals vary in their awareness of children’s needs during a medical procedure. Beside this, the organizational dynamics of the hospital, along with the presence of actors such as the child, parent, colleague, and oneself, collectively influence the conduct of medical procedures.• Providing person-centered care during medical procedures can present challenges. The results highlight the significance of a policy to assist healthcare professionals in incorporating patient-centered care into their practice through practical tools and a culture of self-reflections regarding patient-centered values.

Bibliometric Analysis of Human Aggression Research: Trends, Collaborative Networks and Emerging Themes in the Last Decade

The analysis of research trends, the pattern of collaboration, and growth in citations with respect to works in psychology and related fields published over a decade are laid out. The steady increase in citations from 2014 through 2023 shows increasing recognition and impact on the works cited. However, the publication trends over the years are wavering, with significant drops occurring after 2014 and during the pandemic in 2020, followed by a significant increase in 2022 and an anticipated rise in 2023. There is a lot of strength in collaboration related to the involvement of central authors and countries, with the United States being identified as the major hub. There is an interdisciplinary focus on the psychological, biological, and social dimensions of the study on human aggression. Despite such a breadth of research, some potential gaps remain in uncovering cultural, economic, and intervention strategies. This overview emphasizes the strength and interdisciplinary characteristics of this field and insists on its continued relevance while pointing out possibilities for future research.

Nanotechnology and agriculture in the tropical region: The perspective of the National Institute of Science and Technology in Brazil

Agriculture in the tropics plays a fundamental role in producing food, feed and fiber for the world due to the diversity of production possibilities. However, despite its productive potential, there are many demands for technologies, whether for improving plant growth and development, monitoring field conditions, protecting plants from adverse climatic conditions, or pest control. Nanotechnology can assist in integrated crop management through different applications (e.g., nanosensors for pest monitoring and controlled-release nanoformulations of agrochemicals and biostimulants), thus bringing benefits to tropical agriculture. In this context, the creation of institutes with an interdisciplinary focus, such as the recently created National Institute of Science and Technology in Nanotechnology for Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil, can bring advantages through carrying out research and development, as well as transfer of technology for society, thus contributing to sustainable agriculture.

Blueprint Persona and ICT Interventions: Addressing Unmet Needs in Burning Mouth Syndrome Care

ObjectivesThis study aimed to create a Blueprint Persona for Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS) patients, focusing on unmet needs that digital solutions can address. MethodsAn interdisciplinary focus group formulated the BMS Blueprint Persona by discussing clinical data and survey results regarding education, informatics skills, and perceived unmet needs, collected from 500 BMS patients between 2022 and 2023. ResultsThe BMS Blueprint Persona, named Anna, represents a typical BMS patient profile: a young-old woman with limited computer skills who experiences anxiety, depression, and insomnia, has memory issues leading to medication adherence challenges, is obese due to overeating, and spends much time watching TV at home. Anna's primary concern is receiving inadequate treatment and not achieving disease remission. She also feels misunderstood and lacks family support. This persona reveals several areas where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) interventions, like telemedicine, anxiety and insomnia treatment, drug adherence improvement, and nutritional and lifestyle guidance, could be beneficial. The focus group also outlined the essential features for a prospective mHealth app to meet BMS patients' diverse needs. ConclusionThe development of the BMS Blueprint Persona successfully identified patient characteristics and unmet needs, offering valuable insights for creating personalized diagnostic-therapeutic pathways and digital health solutions for BMS.

Development, reliability, and validity assessment of a fall concerns scale for people who use wheelchairs and scooters (FCS-WC/S)

Purpose To evaluate the psychometric properties of a Fall Concerns Scale for people who use Wheelchairs and Scooters (FCS-WC/S). Materials and methods Developed by fall prevention experts, FCS-WC/S underwent refinement through interdisciplinary reviews and focus groups with researchers, clinicians, and individuals who use WC/S full-time. The psychometric evaluation involved adults who used WC/S for ≥1 year and had ≥1 fall in the previous 3 years, recruited between April and September 2022. Results The FCS-WC/S evaluates fall concerns among people with various health conditions who use WC/S full-time across 33 daily activities. One hundred and twenty-four participants responded to the baseline survey. A subgroup of 63 people repeated the FCS-WC/S a week later. The FCS-WC/S demonstrated excellent internal and good test–retest reliability (α ≥ 0.90, ICC = 0.86–0.9), as well as concurrent validity (Spearman’s rho = 0.72) with the Spinal Cord Injury Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS). It effectively differentiated fear of falling levels from an established measure (ORs 4.1, 25.8, 46.7). Factor and parallel analysis revealed three factors, two of which were retained for further analysis. Conclusions Preliminary findings support FCS-WC/S validity and reliability for assessing fall concerns among individuals with various conditions who use WC/S. Further scale construction analysis is recommended.

Climate change and societal transformation: a cohort-based international experiential learning program with an interdisciplinary focus on environmental education for graduate students

Climate change is not geographically homongeneous and disproportionally affects African nations, making the acceleration of knowledge sharing and mobilization among African-centric researchers critical for developing adaptative and preventative solutions. An interdisciplinary approach to environmental education is therefore essential. While mechanisms like short-term international exchange programs have been explored, little research has focused on a cohort-based approach centered on environmental education of international and interdisciplinary doctoral students and early career researchers. Drawing from the literature on international experiential learning and cohort-based models and employing a Theory of Change framework, we report on the outcomes of an innovative four-year environmental education short-term study program in Canada involving three cohorts of post graduate scholars from Sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings demonstrate that an interdisciplinary cohort approach is beneficial in accelerating research capacity for tackling complex problems such as climate change. Furthermore, participating scholars benefited from cross-learning, research dissemination, community engagement, network development, and enhanced soft skills. Recommendations for successfully organizing and delivering a cohort-based international exchange program are also discussed.

Welcome to the New Issue of GIPAN: Interdisciplinary Approach to Research and Innovation

This editorial review of Gipan Volume 6 (1) introduces the smooth shift from previous disciplinary focus on Gipan to more multidisciplinary one, in which papers belonging to issues in linguistics and applied linguistics (including language teaching) have been incorporated. The primary purpose of bringing in the interdisciplinary focus is to bring the cross-cutting issues across disciplines into broader discourse. This review starts with a brief background information relating to the journal, highlights the themes as they emerge in the issue, summarizes the papers included and concludes with a call for action in support of the new multidisciplinary initiative. Acknowledging the contribution from the individuals and institutions involved in bringing the journal in this form, the review ends with a call on the established scholars and practitioner researchers to cross over disciplinary boundaries and create an international platform for intellectual exchange which will ultimately lead towards a positive social transformation.

How Learners Perceive Inter-Disciplinary Dialogic Science Related Learning Experiences: A Mixed-Method Study

Well-designed, dialogic, and interdisciplinary learning opportunities in science related disciplines can promote many educational goals. The difficulty lies in providing these opportunities in schools. Can out-of-school focus days fill the void? Here, we performed a mixed methods study to discover how middle school learners perceive focus days that included dialogic, interdisciplinary activities in mathematics, science, and philosophy, all around socio-scientific dilemmas. We also sought to understand the experiences’ impact on learners’ self-perceived dialogic engagement in the school classroom. We focused on (1) learners’ perceptions and recollections of the dialogic climate during the focus days; (2) the perceived contribution of the three disciplines (mathematics, science and philosophy) to the interdisciplinary focus days; and (3) the focus days’ effects on the dialogic climate in the everyday school environment. Our findings suggest that (1) learners generally considered the focus days as enjoyable and different than their everyday school experience; (2) students did not consider each discipline equally relevant to the focus days’ main topics; and (3) the effects of the focus days were localized, that is, no impact was found on the dialogic climate at school. We discuss implications for promoting interdisciplinary, dialogic science related learning in secondary schools.

MIGRADENT – MIGRAINE, DENTAL & LASER CLINIC

Abstract : Migradent represents a unique fusion of dental expertise and migraine management, providing comprehensive care for patients seeking relief from orofacial pain and migraines. This abstract delves into the innovative approach of Migradent, highlighting its interdisciplinary focus, patient centered care, and commitment to improving the quality of life for individuals suffering from migraines and related conditions. Through a combination of advanced dental treatments, specialized migraine therapies, and holistic patient support, Migradent aims to address the complex interplay between dental health and migraines, offering hope and relief to those in need. IndexTerm : HTML & CSS 3, JAVA SCRIPT ,PHP, LARAVEL’S FRAMEWORKS.

LEGACY OF A LUMINARY: CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF PROFESSOR STAVROS J. BALOYANNIS IN THE REALM OF NEUROSCIENCE

This paper pays homage to Professor Stavros J. Baloyannis, a towering figure in the field of neuroscience, whose contributions have profoundly influenced our understanding of neuromorphology and neurodegenerative diseases. Renowned for his groundbreaking work on dendritic spines, mitochondrial pathology, and the application of electron microscopy in neuroanatomy, Professor Baloyannis's research has been pivotal in elucidating the pathophysiology of conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Beyond his scientific achievements, he was a dedicated educator and mentor, nurturing a generation of neuroscientists with his passion for discovery and rigorous scientific approach. His humanistic qualities, interdisciplinary focus, and collaborative spirit further distinguished his career. This tribute encapsulates the essence of Professor Baloyannis's life's work, reflecting on his enduring legacy in neuroscience, his inspirational role in shaping future scientific minds, and the ongoing relevance of his research in contemporary neuroscience. As the field continues to evolve, his contributions remain a cornerstone, guiding and inspiring ongoing and future research endeavors.

Frequency Of Psychological Stress And Barriers To Accessing Mental Health Services For Leipzig Citizens Of Afghan And Iraqi Citizenship

Aim of the study was to report evidence on mental health needs and access to mental health and psychosocial support for Leipzig citizens of Afghan and Iraqi citizenship in the presence of mental stress and, above all, to identify barriers to access to care. All adults in Leipzig with Iraqi or Afghan citizenship, who were not born in Germany were contacted. Various instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, SSS-8, PCL-5/LEC-5) to screen for symptoms of depression, anxiety, somatization disorder or PTSD and one item for self-reported emotional problems were used. Questions on health care utilization and barriers to care followed. 51.4% screened positive in at least one of the tests and self-reported emotional problems. 38.2% of those in need of treatment did not seek help. Frequent reasons for not seeking help were, that the people wanted to solve the problem on their own or that the problem did not bother them very much. A lack of trust and understanding regarding the healthcare system and fear of discrimination and stigmatisation were also perceived as additional barriers to care. The study revealed a high percentage of mental health needs. This could be due to the high number of traumatic events and post-migration stressors. A longer period of residence in Germany and easier access to the public health system through the health insurance card could have encouraged the health care utilization. The treatment gap was caused by barriers to care such as a lack of knowledge or trust of the German health care system and fear of stigmatisation and discrimination. More information about access to care structures and more low-threshold services need to be implemented. These should be organised on an interdisciplinary basis and focus on culturally and racially sensitive care. Mental health awareness should be strengthened and under no circumstances should the access to care be restricted any further.

A New Vision for Challenges: A Transdisciplinary Journal Promoting Planetary Health and Flourishing for All

Since its inception in 2010, Challenges has had a strong interdisciplinary focus on sustainability and global challenges, including many important contributions to advances in renewable energies, biodiversity, food security, climate change, urban and rural development, green design, and the interrelated implications for human and environmental health [...]

Smart Sustainable Cities: a Meta-Analysis of Concepts and Discourses in the Literature

Objective: Establish a descriptive correlation between different concepts of Smart and Sustainable Cities, in terms of theoretical and empirical foundations and assumptions. Method: The analysis is mixed, using a Systematic Literature Review and the PSALSAR methodology - Protocol, Search, Appraisal, Syntesis, Analysis and Results. The searches were carried out on four international scientific databases and one national database, with an interdisciplinary focus, involving the areas of Social Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Computer Sciences, Engineering and Energy. Research Significance: The idea of making cities smart and sustainable arises from looking for solutions in the places where the majority of the population is concentrated, along with the opportunities and threats to provide sustainable development. However, the concepts and structures relating to these cities are unclear, and there is still divergent discussion about which technologies have a positive impact on society and what their effects are on the sustainability of the planet. Results and Discussion: The approaches and discourses are aligned with the concept of sustainable development, but implementation in practice depends on government policies. Several counterpoints were found in the discourses analysed, including the fact that smart cities are not necessarily sustainable, and even in cities labelled as smart and sustainable, the lack of an environmental focus was highlighted.

Enforcing ethical standards to safeguard the credibility and legitimacy of public media corporations: The role of News Ombudspersons in Spain and France

This study introduces a cross-country comparative analysis of the role of News Ombudsperson in the public media corporations in Spain and France. It investigates the specific media self-regulatory processes established to reduce reputational risks and increase the trust and credibility of the media organisations. It aims to fill in the gaps in prior research by applying a qualitative framework developed using indicators derived from scholarly work on regulation and governance and media management. The variables selected for the analysis are extracted from prior interdisciplinary research and focus on media self-regulatory processes, complaints management mechanisms, election, reporting procedures, checks and balances, roles, visibility and transparency of News Ombudspersons in two countries which represent the Polarised Pluralist media system category. Research questions are raised in relation to the main variables identified for the comparative analysis. Data were collected from multiple publicly available international sources, including public media organizations databases, national media regulatory authorities, and academic studies. Results reveal cross-country variations. The systematic investigation of different forms of self-regulatory procedures might lead to concrete recommendations and best practice models for media organizations beyond the European Union. Further research could address the role of media audiences as relevant stakeholders in media governance processes.

‘The Trees are the Clothes of the Church’: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church-Forests as Spiritual Spaces of Resilience against Climate Change?

In times of ecological crises, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church-forests are, as many suggest, sacred spaces of resilience and restoration. The need for community forest management and sustainable use of natural resources is said to be based on an ‘eco-theology of Edenic forests’ so, we ask, What can be said about conceptually defined entanglements between the theological perspective on so-called forest-churches and the ecologically oriented perspective that applies to so-called church-forests? What is the history and the present self-understanding of this phenomenon? Does it have a global dimension? How does a sacred text like Śənä Fəṭrät, with its theocentric theology and its reference to biblical testimony, create ‘sacred spaces’ in nature? The socio-ethical dimension of these church-forests is of high concern. For this, with an interdisciplinary focus, I refer to results given by existing research on the interrelations of oriental-orthodox theology, including its miaphysite Christology. Such an understanding includes reference to church architecture, biology, sociology, and on forestry in those areas of forest-churches. So we want to understand the specific religious and cultural significance of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church-forests. The relevance of these unique sacred groves cannot easily be compared to examples in other religions. But we may at least draw conclusions from other forms of Christianity and religiosity and their interpretation of common biblical and dogmatic traditions referring to the ‘creation of God’.

Understanding the Perspectives of Paediatric Physicians on Physiotherapy in Paediatric Rehabilitation in Chennai, India: A Qualitative Approach.

Children with disabilities may exhibit a multitude of symptoms, and treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach for a satisfactory outcome. Lack of awareness among physicians, lack of referral, and lack of inter-sectoral coordination have hindered paediatric practice in Tamil Nadu, a state in India with a striking childhood disability rate that warrants a timely interdisciplinary approach. However, the perspectives of paediatricians on paediatric physiotherapy are unknown. The aim of the study was to investigate the perspectives of practicing paediatric physicians in Chennai on the role of physiotherapy in paediatrics. For an in-depth exploration, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in person with 10 paediatricians. Audio from the sessions was recorded and transcribed, and data saturation was achieved through iterative analysis. A grounded theory analysis of the results yielded 5 domains under which the perspectives and expectations of the physicians were described, along with the barriers experienced by patients' parents as explained by their paediatrician. The responses highlighted deficits in awareness, structural support, accessibility and direct communication between physicians and physiotherapists. Paediatric physicians have different opinions, and some ignorance persists concerning paediatric physiotherapy. This study warrants a proper structure of the paediatric rehabilitation unit and regular interdisciplinary meetings and focus group discussions to increase access for parents and improve patient outcomes.

Health communication strategy based on the factors that influence the prevention of chinkungunya, dengue and Zika in Latin America

Diseases chinkungunya, breakbone fever and zika cause big risks of infection in Latin America, due to low rate of existent communication regarding the forms to prevent these diseases. The objective of investigation is to propose a strategy of communication as from determining the factors that influence the chinkungunya's prevention, breakbone fever and zika in Latin America. The analysis of the conceptual diffuse map and the resulting womb highlight the sanitary communication like a central pillar that shows increased the power of by the effective implementation of them TIC and the well-designed formulation of strategies of communication. A significant link between these strategies and the governmental support are identified, that it is indispensable for the success of the programs of public health. The results of the conceptual map suggest than a sanitary robust communication and strategically designed improvement the regional step of health and key is for reducing the risk of sprouts of breakbone fever, chikungunya and zika. The importance of a communicative and interdisciplinary focus that incorporate multiple actors is stressed, once the governments were included, health-care professionals and the community in general, for the better the prevention of these diseases zoonóticas. The womb reaffirms the need of a design innovative comunicacional that you consider factors socioculturales and educational to guarantee that the information did not sole spread him out but also understand him and apply him. The findings derived of investigation back up the implementation of a telling strategy integrated and adapted that may respond to dynamically the evolution of the diseases and to the changes in perceptions and the population's behaviors

Methodological Principles of Teaching Russian to Bilingual Children at Elementary School

This article is devoted to the urgent problem of identifying the methodological foundations of teaching Russian to younger schoolchildren for whom Russian is not their native language. The topic proposed for consideration is characterized by a broad scientific and descriptive context of the problem that is of interest to specialists in psychology, pedagogy and linguo-didactics, and a pronounced practical aspect that is associated with the need to develop a consistent methodological approach to teaching Russian in a mixed language group of elementary school students. Russian is the primary and only language of instruction, and the composition of the trainees is characterized by a different status of linguistic personality, including bilingual children with varying degrees of proficiency in Russian as a non-native language and children for whom Russian is their native language. Taking into account the varying degrees of proficiency in the Russian language by bilingual children at the initial moment of schooling, the purpose of the study is precisely to identify and analyze the fundamental provisions that are actualized in modern linguo-didactics on this issue. The materials of the study were modern studies in the field of pedagogy, psychology, linguo-culturology and linguo-didactics, devoted to the organization of the educational space of bilingual children learning Russian in a mixed language group. The leading method in the study is the analytical modeling of the educational environment as a condition for the formation of a student’s linguistic personality. The relevance of the research is due to both the interdisciplinary focus of the problem and the diversity of the selected topic, which requires discussion taking into account various factors of the effectiveness of the organization of training. The following principles of the organization of the educational space of bilingual children in modern primary school are substantiated as the leading ones in the study: (1) linguo-culturological, due to the complex nature of the formation of the linguistic picture of the world and communicative skills of a linguistic personality as a subject of learning; (2) competence-based, arising from objective (socio-cultural factor, normative provisions) and subjective (age, learning conditions in a particular mixed-character language team, personal orientations, the level of development of a linguistic personality and its communicativespeech ability, etc.); (3) communicative-activity, taking into account the psycholinguistic factor of the development of speech ability as the activity sphere of the linguistic personality, determined, among other things, by the space of educational communication.

Towards Modern Slavic Studies aneb snaha o jiné pojetí studia slovanských filologií

An international team of Slavists from three European countries (Poland, Czechia, Northern Macedonia) worked in 2020–2022 on the project “Towards Modern Slavic Studies”, which brings a new perspective in the implementation of modern Slavic studies programmes in postgraduate studies. The activities of the project are mainly focused on enhancing the skills and competences of students of Slavic Philology and on promoting the internationalisation of higher education. The project has developed an international Slavic studies programme that is characterised by an interdisciplinary focus and, in addition to knowledge, skills and competences in language, literature, culture and translation, equips graduates with a solid knowledge of contemporary social and economic life in the countries covered by the programme.