Interesting Curiosity Research Articles

Cryptorchidism in the sub-Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalis

The prevalence of cryptorchidism, a condition when one or more testes failed to move to their proper position(s), was evaluated for sub-Antarctic fur seals from Gough Island, South Atlantic. The reproductive tracts of male fur seals (n = 123) were examined and reproductive organs measured in a previous study. Only one fur seal, a 5-year-old sexually mature male, had one inguinal testis on the right side, and a small abdominal one situated below the kidney on the same side. A matching contralateral testis could not be located, neither in the scrotum or inguinal canal nor within the abdominal cavity. Amongst pinnipeds, cryptorchids rarely occurred in northern fur seals (0.01% to 0.02% prevalence), harbour seals (undetermined prevalence) and in sub-Antarctic fur seals (0.8% prevalence). Inconsequential on a population level, the rare instances of cryptorchidism in seals are interesting curiosities.

The Impact of Changing Step 1 to Pass/Fail Reporting on Anxiety, Learning Approaches, and Curiosity.

Given the significance of the US Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 score moving from a 3-digit value to pass/fail, the authors investigated the impact of the change on students' anxiety, approach to learning, and curiosity. Two cohorts of pre-clerkship medical students at three medical schools completed a composite of four instruments: the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire, the Interest/Deprivation Type Epistemic Curiosity Scale, and the Short Grit Scale prior to taking the last 3-digit scored Step 1 in 2021 or taking the first pass/fail scored Step 1 in 2022.Responses of 3-digit and pass/fail exam takers were compared (Mann-Whitney U) and multiple regression path analysis was performed to determine the factors that significantly impacted learning strategies. There was no difference between 3-digit (n = 86) and pass/fail exam takers (n = 154) in anxiety (STA-I scores, 50 vs. 49, p = 0.85), shallow learning strategies (22 vs. 23, p = 0.84), or interest curiosity scores (median scores 15 vs. 15, p = 0.07). However, pass/fail exam takers had lower deprivation curiosity scores (median 12 vs. 11, p = 0.03) and showed a decline in deep learning strategies (30 vs. 27, p = 0.0012). Path analysis indicated the decline in deep learning strategies was due to the change in exam scoring (β = - 2.0428, p < 0.05). Counter to the stated hypothesis and intentions, the initial impact of the change to pass/fail grading for USMLE Step 1 failed to reduce learner anxiety, and reduced curiosity and deep learning strategies. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-023-01878-w.

Description and Exploration of Mean-Gauss Surfaces

In this paper we explore solving the prescribed mean curvature equation for surfaces meeting a new relation given by (H_S) = λ(K_S), where H_S and K_S are the mean and Gaussian curvatures, respectively. We prove several existence theorems for various families of surfaces and state a conjecture for surfaces of revolution. To conclude, we state a weak existence theorem, and a strong conjecture concerning possible solutions. The intention is that by using differential geometry tools which would have likely been seen at the undergraduate level, the paper and its results are more accessible. My hope is that these new theorems find applications in the classification of surfaces in the future, or at the very least serves as an interesting curiosity.

Inquisitive but not discerning: Deprivation curiosity is associated with excessive openness to inaccurate information

Epistemic curiosity—the desire for knowledge—is typically thought to benefit learning. In four preregistered studies, we show that interest curiosity, a facet of epistemic curiosity characterized by joyful exploration, is indeed associated with traits and abilities that benefit learning. These include general knowledge, intellectual humility, and discernment of the quality of information. In contrast, deprivation curiosity, a facet motivated by uncertainty reduction, is associated with errors and confusion. Individuals high in deprivation curiosity claim familiarity with new information (Studies 1 & 3) and made-up concepts (Studies 1, 2 & 4). They find meaning in “bullshit” (Studies 3 & 4), believe disinformation (Study 4), and lack intellectual humility (Studies 1, 3 and 4). We theorize that deprivation curiosity is characterized by an indiscriminate openness to information.

Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change

We can see foreign social scientists crisscrossing our archipelago doing research on the Philippines. It has been like this since the arrival of the western powers and up to this day wherein we leave the burden of the search for indigenous knowledge and wisdom to the foreign scholars. Setting the foreign researchers’ feat aside, doing social science research with this type of result in view is an insurmountable task that has been adequately accomplished by the team of faculty members from the University of Southeastern Philippines and Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology with the generous support of Senator Loren Legarda. From the first four pages bearing the introduction, it can be deduced right away that this manuscript is a product of an exciting fieldwork and rigorous ethnography –a commendable endeavor indeed. Reassuringly, I am making it clear that this breakthrough research should be continued for it is time that the local academia must take into its hands the thrust of documenting and preserving indigenous knowledge systems within its geographical vicinity. The familiarity and the proximity of the academic communities with the indigenous communities do not only project the idea of awareness, but also the degree of interest and intellectual curiosity that will facilitate in the tapping of the indispensable communities for the enhancement of the existing education policies, research agenda, and pedagogical endeavors among others. With the great merits this book has and the use of English language in its text, I am sure that this book will not be only used in the local academic communities, but it will find its way into the many libraries and university holdings in the country and abroad.

Arif Dirlik in South Korea

ABSTRACT To many South Korean scholars, Arif Dirik has been known as one of the renowned and distinguished scholars mainly for his criticism of globalization and postcolonialism, not for his studies of radical politics and radicalism in modern China. As a result, his radical scholarship has been well-received mostly by those in the literature and Cultural Studies fields. Unlike them, South Korean historians of modern China have generally remained indifferent or unresponsive to it. In some cases, they even attempted to deradicalize his scholarship out of their self-censorship, citing selectively his works, most of which they think were radical or “pro-PRC or socialist,” on the basis of their academic faith in “neutrality” and “objectivity.” With the translated publication of his various articles and books available in South Korea, however, Dirlik’s radical scholarship seems to have left a profound impact and influences on the emerging new generation of South Korean scholars, which with its wide range of interest and intellectual curiosity has responded particularly to his call for serious scholarship and “place-based politics” in various ways.

Missionary theology and the peopling of pre-Columbian America: John Oxenbridge’s “A plea for the dumb Indian” (ca. 1666)

John Oxenbridge was a 17th-century Puritan minister who lived in England, Bermuda, Suriname, Barbados, and New England. During his residence in Suriname, a short-lived English colony, he wrote a missionary treatise he entitled “A plea for the dumb Indian.” The work was never published and survives partially in non-digitalized manuscript form at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston. One of the intact portions of the manuscript is a discussion of the settlement of pre-Columbian America. Oxenbridge held that the Native Americans were descended from ancient Scythians, the semi-nomadic and “uncivilized” peoples of the vast Eurasian Steppe, who had entered America through “Anian,” an early modern designation for the region around the Bering Strait. He also thought that two other peoples later settled in pre-Columbian America: Welsh adventurers sailed across the Atlantic but soon intermarried with the Native Americans and disappeared as a distinct people, and some of the lost tribes of Israel entered the New World through Anian. These lost Israelites still survived and continued to observe the Mosaic Law. They never intermarried with the Native Americans; however, they passed on a “tincture of Israels customs” to their Indian neighbors. Oxenbridge’s discussion of the peopling of pre-Columbian America may seem like an antiquarian curiosity of little interest to historians of Christian missions. But for him it remained relevant to the present day. The Welsh migration, which he thought predated Spanish and French colonization, legitimated the English imperial claim in America. More importantly, the presence of lost Israelites in Scythian America would facilitate the conversion of the Native Americans.

An Exploratory Assessment of Epistemic Curiosity in Students at Three Doctor of Pharmacy Programs

Objective. To determine the level of epistemic curiosity in a sample of student pharmacists from three Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs as well as any differences in epistemic curiosity levels that exist between programs and with regard to professional year. Methods. Litman's Epistemic Curiosity Scale (ECS) was administered to student pharmacists at three different PharmD programs. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and overall mean ECS scores as well as mean scores on epistemic curiosity motivated by intellectual interest (I-type) and informational deprivation (D-type) were compared among student pharmacists at the three institutions using analysis of variance. Reliability analyses were also performed on the data. Results. A total of 569 out of 1143 eligible students responded to the survey, for an overall response rate of 49.8%. The mean overall ECS score was 27.6 (SD=4.9). Mean I-type epistemic curiosity was 14.9 (SD=2.8) overall, but was statistically different among the schools. Mean D-type epistemic curiosity was 12.7 (SD=3.2) overall, but was statistically similar among the programs. Overall, the data demonstrated good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of .81. Conclusion. This study was the first to characterize epistemic curiosity in student pharmacists and included data from multiple years and multiple programs. Future analyses should investigate associations between epistemic curiosity and other factors of interest to help elucidate how better understanding epistemic curiosity or enhancing it in student pharmacists may help facilitate student success.

Cross-cultural insights on lived experiences of opioid users among young adults

Purpose There is increased social discussion of the emerging issues of opioid use, health and well-being of young adults within contemporary Asian society. The purpose of this study is to contribute new knowledge of opioid-using young adults through ethnographic perspectives of the five main cultures of Pakistan. Furthermore, it tried to explore the values of opioid users. Design/methodology/approach It is a qualitative study. Semi-structured interview and observation techniques were used to gain the participants’ information, in a non-judgmental environment. Observation and life focus history interview methodology were used for data collection. The sample consisted of 18 male opioid users (approximately three from each area including: Punjab, Khyber Pakhtoon Khah, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir). An interview script was used in interviews after written informed consent. After the detailed interview and observation of non-verbal behaviours, the researchers analysed the data by using the content analysis of qualitative method. Findings The result showed that poor relationships, conflicts over property, lack of social support and family problems increased with the use of opioids by individuals. The individual’s mental health, such as hopelessness, curiosity, mistrust and lack of interest in social activities, was the major cause of opioid addiction. Moreover, peer influences and friends may also have played contributing roles in opioids use among men. Research limitations/implications The current study added to the understanding of the relationship of different environmental, behavioural and social factors involved in developing opioid use among young individuals. The homogeneity of the sample may have weakened the generalisability of the findings of the study as all participants in the study were male. Practical implications Clinicians and allied professionals have shown a great interest in early intervention with opioid users. At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of young opioid users. That is why this study was done, to empower counsellors. Social implications Opioids, including heroin, have strong addictive tendencies. They are easily available, particularly in unplanned urban areas of Pakistan. The present study tried to understand the lived experiences and beliefs of opioid users belonging to different cultures of Pakistan. Originality/value At the same time, there is a lack of qualitative studies exploring the lived experiences of adult opioid users. Therefore, this study presented 18 interview-based facts from the opioid users belonging to different areas of Pakistan residing in capital of Pakistan. The content of these vignettes was examined in the context of an ethnographic perspective, as it has a strong connection and contribution to drug abuse.

Fenomena “Virtual Youtuber” Kizuna Ai di Kalangan Penggemar Budaya Populer Jepang di Indonesia

Defy Media’s survey shows that 85% of 13-24 years old teenagers use YouTube as the main platform to watch videos. Hence, YouTuber became a favored profession. Within YouTuber profession trend, Virtual YouTuber phenomenon emerges. Virtual YouTubers are YouTubers who appear as 3D animation avatars. The term was first used by Virtual YouTuber Kizuna Ai whose popularity reaches Indonesia. Based on pre-research, 96 of 100 Indonesian Japanese pop-culture fans know Kizuna Ai, 86 has watched her vlogs, and 53 subscribe her YouTube channel. This research’s goal is to understand motives and meanings in watching Kizuna Ai’s vlogs. this study used Phenomenology method. Even though they are virtual, their presences can be captured by senses. Based on the research’s results, there are two kinds of motive in watching Kizuna Ai’s vlogs: because motives consisting interest motive and curiosity motive, and in-order-to motives consisting desire for information motive, self-actualization needs motive, competency motive, desire for entertainment motive, and self-existence needs motive. Meanwhile, the meanings in watching Kizuna Ai’s vlogs are ideal partner figure representation, escape from problems, interest in Japanese pop-culture representation, role-model for interacting with others, and the importance of being expressive and expressing opinions.

Newspaper reporting of the April 2007 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise, part 2: framing the hazard

An analysis of the front pages of 120 consecutive editions of the local newspaper for the island of La Réunion (France), “Le Journal de L’Ile de La Réunion”, published before, during and after the April 2007 eruption of Piton de la Fournaise reveals that its front page is an ideal vehicle for maximizing information delivery and recall during a volcanic eruption. Supported by flash tests, and by cross-checking with a content analysis of information given within the newspaper, we find that the front page is an effective gauge for the hazard frame which, for the case examined here, involved six volcanic hazards (pit-crater collapse, lava flows, gas, air fall, ocean entry lava flow and bench collapse), as well as the issue of evacuation. We found that crater collapse and lava flow hazards were framed using their natural colors and clear imagery of the phenomenon, tied to context-setting explanations within the newspaper. However, for lava flows in particular there was an element of spectacle and promotion of sightseeing, with photographs always featuring sightseers invariably taking photographs. After the end of the eruption reporting became almost entirely focused on tourists and sightseeing. Gas and ash fall hazard were framed using images and words of the victims, so that it became worrying and frightening, and associated with panic. As a result, the volcano itself became portrayed as a monster, and the situation for the impacted population became “apocalyptic” and “hellish”. This probably contributed to the evacuation measures being described as confused and pointless, with the morale of the impacted population suffering accordingly. The ocean entry and bench collapse had no frame at all, and became associated with the dead, exotic fish that were collected; this hazard thus being framed as an interesting curiosity rather than a volcanic hazard. The front page-tracking model followed here could guide future educative measures during volcanic crises by quickly identifying, on the basis of front page analysis, hazards that are appropriately conveyed versus those that are poorly portrayed. Responses to rectify a poor frame can include reactive scientific advertising, a route that is used commonly by businesses seeking to boost sales by taking timely advantage of a developing newspaper frame, and distribution of appropriately designed and timed press releases.

Luneburg-lens-like structural Pauli attractive core of the nuclear force at short distances

A recent paper Ohkubo (2017) [1] found that the measured S01 phase shifts can be reproduced using a deeply attractive nucleon–nucleon potential. We find that the deuteron would decay strongly via pion emission to the deeply bound state arising in this potential. Therefore the success of a deeply attractive potential in describing phase shifts must be regarded only as an interesting curiosity.

THE MEASUREMENT OF CURIOSITY OF TEACHER CANDIDATES: A STUDY BASED ON BREADTH AND DEPTH OF INTEREST

The aim of this study was to investigate curiosity styles of teacher candidates. A total of 250 teacher candidates –classroom/physical education and sports- volunteered for the study. In the study Turkish version of Erwin’s (1998) two-factor curiosity scale was used as data gathering tool. In the evaluation of data first reliability and normality analyses were made. And MANOVA was used as hypothesis test at the %95 confidence level. This study showed that classroom teacher candidates' breadth of interest curiosity score was significantly higher in comparison with physical education and sport teacher candidates.

Influence of deprivation and interest curiosity on tourists’ Internet search behaviour

This study aims at examining the influence of interest and deprivation curiosity on tourists’ Internet information search behaviour. Empirical survey data (n = 360) for the study were collected during August 2010 in Busan, Korea, targeting tourists’ curiosity, Internet channel used, and type of information searched through the Internet. The collected data were analysed through t-tests and regression analyses. Results indicate that women are more in need of deprivation curiosity than men, and interest curiosity decreases as age increases. Interest curiosity is effective in explaining more on the use of different Internet channels. Interest and deprivation curiosity are valid, on top of demographic variables, in explaining the level of information search on different types of travel information. Findings avail several marketing implications to Internet destination marketers.

Hijos de las Nubes. La última colonia

In this article, the author introduces the film 'Sons of Clouds. The last colony ' as a guide of pedagogical intervention. This guide consists on a summary and a specification sheet; a section of topics and values to discuss; activities to watch before the movie; some rules about the development of the cinema-forum; curiosities of interest about the movie and some educational proposals to answer after watching the movie; proposals that are for action and reflection-action. With all this teaching materials, we try to know, understand and value the cinematographic language and its didactic possibilities to educate in values our students not only on formal fields but also on informal ones.

Vittaria appalachiana continues to provide insight into the biology of ferns: A commentary on two studies recently published in American Journal of Botany.

Vittaria appalachiana continues to provide insight into the biology of ferns: A commentary on two studies recently published in American Journal of Botany.

The Emerging World of Small ORFs.

Small open reading frames (sORFs) are an often overlooked feature of plant genomes. Initially found in plant viral RNAs and considered an interesting curiosity, an increasing number of these sORFs have been shown to encode functional peptides or play a regulatory role. The recent discovery that many of these sORFs initiate with start codons other than AUG, together with the identification of functional small peptides encoded in supposedly noncoding primary miRNA transcripts (pri-miRs), has drastically increased the number of potentially functional sORFs within the genome. Here we review how advances in technology, notably ribosome profiling (RP) assays, are complementing bioinformatics and proteogenomic methods to provide powerful ways to identify these elusive features of plant genomes, and highlight the regulatory roles sORFs can play.

Cognitive and emotional processing of brand logo changes

Purpose The purpose of the study is to develop and empirically test a model of how consumers process logo changes used in rebranding. Design/methodology/approach Individual in-depth interviews with 12 informants allowed researchers to better understand how consumers respond to logo changes. After developing a model of how consumers process logo changes, researchers deployed a field study evaluating two actual retail brands using survey methodology with 406 respondents. Findings Nine of the ten hypotheses of the study receive support. Notably, both interest in the logo change as well as doubt about the logo change characterize consumers’ processing of the logo change. Research limitations/implications Although study respondents viewed multiple brands along with variations of these brands, other brands might elicit other responses from consumers. Further study is now in order. Practical implications As a result of the study, brand managers can be more aware of the positive and negative processing that brands receive from consumers when brands change their logos. Accordingly, communication programs of brands can better anticipate such processing before logos are changed. Social implications Social enterprises that change their logos stand to benefit in a similar way to for-profit businesses that change their logos. Originality/value This is the first study to include two types of curiosity – interest curiosity and deprivation curiosity – in a comprehensive model to better explain how consumers process logo changes.

La ladrona de libros

Se trata de una guía de intervención pedagógica sobre la película "La ladrona de libros". Comprende un resumen y ficha técnica del film; temas y valores a tratar; actividades previas al visionado; pautas para el desarrollo del cine-fórum; curiosidades de interés sobre la película; y propuestas educativas para la acción- reflexión-acción a partir de la película. Con este material intentamos conocer, comprender y valorar el lenguaje cinematográfico y sus posibilidades didácticas para educar en valores tanto en los ámbitos formales como no formales.

Static- and stationary-complete spacetimes: algebraic and causal structures

This is intended as an analysis of the global properties of static and stationary spacetimes with complete (timelike) Killing field, with particular attention to quotients by group actions. This is presented in terms of algebraic structures which are fairly simple for the static case and more involved for the stationary case; the most important tool, the fundamental cocycle, is a cohomological class for static spacetimes but of somewhat looser structure in the stationary case. In particular: (1) A new measurement, similar to the spacetime interval in Minkowski space, is devised for detecting whether two points are causally related in a stationary spacetime; this proves very useful for analysis. (2) All stationary spacetimes are categorized by how they behave with respect to the fundamental cocycle; this enables a complete characterization of global causality properties. (3) It is shown how these tools determine whether global hyperbolicity of a stationary spacetime is inherited by its quotients. (4) Examples are examined in detail, a large range including both ones of mathematical curiosity and ones of physical interest, such as cosmic strings in flat, accelerated, Schwarzschild, Kerr, and other backgrounds.