Learning Period Research Articles

Robust Driving Control Design for Precise Positional Motions of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Driven Rotary Machines with Position-Dependent Periodic Disturbances

Position-dependent periodic disturbances often limit the accuracy and smoothness of the positional motion of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM)-driven rotary machines. Because the period of these disturbances varies with the motion velocity of the rotary machine, spatial domain control methods such as spatial iterative learning control (SILC) and spatial repetitive control (SRC) have been proposed and applied to improve rotary machine motion control designs. However, problems with learning period convergence and rotary machine dynamics significantly affect transient motion, further constraining the overall motion performance. To address these challenges, this study developed a robust driving control (RDC) that integrates a robust control design with position-dependent periodic disturbance feedforward compensation, rotary machine dynamics compensation, and proportional–proportional integral feedback control. A position-dependent periodic disturbance model was developed using multiple position–sinusoidal signals and identified using a spatial fast Fourier transform. RDC compensates for disturbances and dynamics and considers the effects of model parameter uncertainty and modeling error on the stability of the control system. Several motion control experiments were conducted on a PMSM test bench to compare the RDC, SILC, and SRC. The experimental results demonstrated that although both SILC and SRC can effectively suppress position-dependent periodic disturbances, SILC provides slower position error convergence owing to the learning process, and SILC and SRC result in significant position errors because of the influence of the PMSM-driven rotary machine dynamics. RDC not only suppresses position-dependent periodic disturbances, but also significantly reduces position errors with a reduction rate of 90%. Therefore, the RDC developed in this study effectively suppressed position-dependent periodic disturbances and significantly improved both the transient-state and steady-state position-tracking performances of the PMSM-driven rotary machine.

Interrupted learning across the lifespan

Continued learning opportunities are important for adaptation across the lifespan. Interrupted learning (e.g., “summer slide”) is a known, critical issue for childhood education. This perspective piece proposes that adulthood could be a period of prolonged interrupted learning with reduced learning opportunities, despite the known importance of lifelong learning. This idea goes beyond calls for healthy older adults to lead an active life to maintain cognitive abilities and to maintain basic functional skills by highlighting important lifespan circumstances that may hinder or facilitate adaptation in new and changing environments. We explore how research on interrupted learning in childhood could be applied to later adulthood and how changes in learning are viewed differently for children and adults. In addition, research on increasing abilities during childhood generally focuses on specific skills (e.g., reading, math), whereas cognitive aging research focuses on more general cognitive abilities related to attention and memory. Finally, given that interrupted learning occurs unevenly across different ages, abilities, and resources, more can be investigated in terms of who interrupted learning affects across the lifespan, and the neural underpinnings of interrupted learning. Acknowledging and addressing interrupted learning across the lifespan may promote long-term thriving and avoid preventable deficits and decline.

A chronometric relationship between circuits underlying learning and error monitoring in the basal ganglia and salience network

Abstract Healthy individuals readily adjust their behaviour in response to errors using learning mechanisms. This raises the question of how error-related neural mechanisms underlie the learning process and its progress. In this study, 21 healthy participants performed a challenging functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task to answer this question. We assessed the evolution of error-related neural response as a function of learning progress. We tested the hypothesis that the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and anterior insula, key regions of the error monitoring neural circuitry, reflect both the performance of an action and its improvement. Given the nature of trial-and-error learning, we also expected an involvement of the striatum, particularly the putamen. We found that error-related neural activity (in the dACC and anterior insula) was similar following correct responses and errors in an initial learning period. However, as learning progressed, the activity continuously decreased in response to correct events and increased after errors. In opposition, during the initial learning phase, the putamen activity was modulated by errors, but, as it progressed, this region became unaffected by response outcomes. In sum, our study provides neural evidence for an interaction between the mechanisms underlying error monitoring and learning, contributing to clarifying how error-related neural responses evolve with learning.

ANALISIS SENTIMEN APLIKASI MICROSOFT TEAMS BERDASARKAN ULASAN GOOGLE PLAY STORE MENGGUNAKAN MODEL NEURAL NETWORK DENGAN OPTIMASI ADAPTIVE MOMENT ESTIMATION (ADAM)

The Covid-19 virus pandemic with its rapid spread has made the government enact several policies that can reduce community activities that have the potential to cause crowds including social distancing, work from home (WFH) and online and hybrid learning. One of the platforms that was widely used during the WFH and online learning period was Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is an app that lets people and organizations collaborate and interact online. Microsoft Teams can be downloaded through the Google Play Store and users can leave reviews. Sentiment analysis is used to classify user sentiment towards Microsoft Teams into positive and negative sentiments. Review data obtained from January to November 2022. The classification is carried out using the Neural Network which is a computational system inspired by biological neural networks. Weight optimization is done using Adaptive Moment Estimation which is popular in the field of deep learning because it achieves good results quickly. The classification model in this paper was built with a training test ratio of 80:20. The best hyperparameter combination is node hidden layer 100, learning rate 0.0001, and batch size 32. The accuracy of the ANN classification model was obtained by 88.16%.Keywords: Microsoft Teams, Google Play Store, Sentiment Analysis, Neural Network, Adaptive Moment Estimation

Pengembangan Aplikasi Pengenalan Budaya Kasepuhan Cirompang berbasis Virtual Reality untuk Pembelajaran IPAS di Sekolah Dasar

The Independent Curriculum is a curriculum with diverse intracurricular learning where the content will be more optimal so that students have enough time to explore concepts and strengthen competencies. The problem that occurred at SDN Jatimulya 1 was that teachers had difficulty choosing the right media in implementing the Independent Curriculum, so researchers analyzed the problems found to find the right solution. Through the initial research study, researchers also found problems in the learning of the "Indonesia Kaya Budaya" science subject, namely 80% of students did not know the culture in their own environment. The urgency of this study is the need for a learning model that is combined with media that is considered suitable, namely Virtual Reality based on local wisdom, VR is considered the most suitable media in the current learning period, this is expected to increase children's interest in learning. The purpose of this study is to develop virtual reality as a learning medium in the implementation of the independent curriculum. This study uses the method of developing a Virtual Reality Application for culture in Kasepuhan Cirompang, an area that is still thick with customs and arts that have existed since ancient times. Post-implementation evaluation showed that 85% of students were more interested and understood the Kasepuhan culture material better. The results of the study showed that the use of VR in learning was able to increase students' interest and understanding of local culture. This application not only acts as an innovative learning tool, but also as a means to preserve local culture. In the future, further research is needed to evaluate the long-term impact of using this application in learning.

Methodological learning curve: predilection for qualitative over quantitative approaches in Zimbabwean social work dissertations

ABSTRACT This study examines the nature of competency required of social work students in qualitative and quantitative methods as well as the preferred learning period duration for the acquisition of proficiency in each method. Utilising a descriptive-correlational design, data was gathered from a sample of 1268 social work students who completed their dissertations during their last year of study. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that social work students need a longer duration to acquire proficiency in quantitative research strategies as opposed to qualitative and mixed methodologies. The hazard function prediction analysis indicated a significant likelihood of quantitative approaches not being utilized in students’ dissertations, in contrast to other approaches. In terms of course structure, the majority (72%) of social work students learned both qualitative and quantitative approaches simultaneously. A simple linear regression analysis revealed that the research course structure had a statistically significant effect (p < .05) in predicting the improvement in the learning curve for particular methodological methods. We propose that the research method course structure be customized to meet the specific needs of students, such as providing methodological training and capacity development, implementing a research mentorship programme, fostering a supportive learning environment in all methodological approaches, and promoting inter-professional collaboration.

On the effect of indoor acoustic conditions in performing cognitive tests in primary school

The quality of the acoustic environment is essential to foster learning as students learn by listening to the teacher. Prolonged exposure to noise during critical learning periods at school can impair development and have a lifelong effect on academic achievement. This is why the problem of noise is of concern in learning environments such as schools. Poor acoustic quality leads to increased cognitive effort that is associated with greater difficulty in processing and remembering information in the short and long term. Preliminary results from the administration of neuropsychological tests under quiet and noise conditions only partially supported the hypothesis that noise negatively impacts children's cognitive performance. In fact, only in one of the two monitored schools the children's performance was affected by the presence of noise during the execution of the tests. In this paper, new results obtained from the correlation between the acoustic parameters and the children's responses to the cognitive load assessment questionnaire are presented to confirm the validity of the hypotheses.

Learning Verbs in Sentences: Children With Developmental Language Disorder and the Role of Retrieval Practice.

Retrieval practice has been shown to assist the word learning of children with developmental language disorder (DLD). Although this has been true for learning new verbs as well as new nouns and adjectives, these children's overall verb learning has remained quite low. In this preregistered study, we presented novel verbs in transitive sentences with varying subjects/agents and objects/patients to determine if recall could be improved and if retrieval practice continued to be facilitative. Fourteen children with DLD aged 4-5 years and 13 same-age peers with typical language development (TD) learned eight novel verbs over two sessions. Half of the novel verbs were presented with spacing between study and retrieval trials, and half were presented with the same frequency in study trials without the opportunity for retrieval. All novel verbs were presented in sentences such as, "The woman is deeking the shoe." Children's ability to recall and use the novel verbs in the same sentence structure was tested after the second session and 1 week later. The children were also required to use the novel verbs in bare-stem form in a new structure, as in, "That woman likes to deek the towel." Both groups of children showed increased recall relative to a previous novel verb study. The children with TD showed the expected advantages of spaced retrieval over repeated study and could use the novel verbs in the new morphological form and sentence structure. The children with DLD, however, showed an advantage for spaced retrieval only shortly after the learning period. These children had great difficulty changing the novel verbs to a bare stem and using them in a new structure. Although spaced retrieval assists children's novel verb recall, children with DLD in particular require additional help using these verbs with morphological and syntactic flexibility.

DIGITAL LEARNING SUPPORT ELEMENTS IN THE ONLINE TEACHING OF GERMAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

In recent years, pedagogical design and practice have undergone a forced transformation that has brought many innovative methods and tools to the implementation process. The transition to online education has demanded new infrastructural solutions that have temporarily replaced traditional classroom practices. Most teachers seem to have adapted well to these new challenges. Learning support platforms and online teaching elements had to be harnessed by teachers who, in many cases, acquired this knowledge on their own, in awareness of their importance. Our study examines the need for digital learning support elements in primary schools of the German national minority in Hungary. Our research tools comprised an online questionnaire survey conducted in 2022. The goal of our study was to identify the problems that teachers faced in the transition to online teaching during the period of distance learning introduced due to the COVID pandemic in 2020 and since; the forms of support teachers received nationwide; and the measure of success in their work as language teachers. We also looked at the factors that influenced the digital elements being used. Finally, we examined whether teachers are still willing to use online learning support tools when returning to face-to-face teaching.

Fostering Engagement Through Ice Breaking in Islamic Education

Background: Innovative pedagogical strategies are crucial for enhancing student engagement in Islamic education. Specific Background: This study examines the implementation of ice-breaking activities to address challenges of fatigue and disengagement during the final class period at an elementary school. Knowledge Gap: There is limited research on the application of ice-breaking techniques within Islamic education contexts. Aims: The research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ice-breaking activities in fostering a conducive learning environment. Results: Findings indicate that these activities significantly improve students’ attention and comprehension, facilitating effective lesson delivery. Novelty: This study demonstrates how tailored ice-breaking exercises can alleviate classroom fatigue and promote engagement. Implications: The results suggest that integrating ice-breaking activities can serve as a practical strategy for educators to enhance student engagement and knowledge retention, thereby cultivating a dynamic classroom atmosphere. Highlights : Enhancement of Engagement: Ice-breaking activities significantly boost student focus and participation, especially during critical learning periods. Tailored Approaches: Specific ice-breaking techniques can effectively address classroom fatigue and disengagement in Islamic education settings. Practical Teaching Strategy: Integrating these activities offers educators a valuable tool for improving instructional delivery and student comprehension. Keywords: Islamic education, ice-breaking activities, student engagement, classroom strategies, teaching effectiveness.

A Framework to Enhance Flexible Blended Architectural Design Education

In the last few years, there have been lots of challenges facing the world from pandemics and wars that have raised a series of challenges facing architectural education, which create a challenge for both teachers and students and to which extent they can adapt to the post-digital adaptation period, as well as the future of architectural education in general. Architecture and design environments mainly require face-to-face learning and teaching techniques that depend on the interaction between the student and the teacher, where application and practical education take place. Furthermore, studio-designed spaces provide solidarity, positive energy, and motivation for students. Therefore, activating the distance learning process that affect the architectural education strategy and directed institutions and teachers to the necessity of flexibility and adaptation as a part of the structure of architectural education curricula. this study is a humble try to evaluate the role of blended learning experiences incorporating architectural design programmes that were first applied after the last pandemic. It focuses on the importance of flexible architectural education through the overlap between the traditional studio and the virtual studio to achieve a positive experience for students and staff members. This is done by observing a design studio procedure during a blended learning period and with the help of a questionnaire for a diverse number of students and faculty members on the subject of architectural design at one of the Egyptian universities that host the architecture department. It is conducted for the purpose of flexible handling through the integration of distance learning with architectural design education in relation to the era of pandemics, the digital age, and the like in the future. The research contributes to developing a future framework that enhances the flexibility of architectural design education, supports self-education, and turns the architectural design studio into an opportunity for reproduction and renewal.

Neural mechanisms associated with sleep-dependent enhancement of motor learning after brain injury.

This study aimed to examine the improvement in performance and functional magnetic resonance imaging correlates of motor learning after a daytime nap versus a period of resting wakefulness among individuals with traumatic brain injury. A sample of 32 individuals with traumatic brain injury was randomly assigned to a Sleep (N = 17) or Wake (N = 15) group after a period of training on a motor sequential learning task. A 45-min nap opportunity was provided for the Sleep group, while the Wake group watched a documentary for 45 min. Performance at the end of training was compared with their performance after the nap or wake intervention. Before and after the intervention, the motor sequential learning task was completed in the magnetic resonance imaging scanner to examine the relationship between change in performance and neural activation. Participants in the Sleep group showed significant gains from the end of training to after the intervention, whereas the Wake group did not. The functional magnetic resonance imaging results showed that relative to the Wake group, the Sleep group showed significantly decreased activation post-intervention in the anterior cingulate/paracingulate, cerebellum, cuneus/precuneus, and inferior parietal lobule including angular and supramarginal gyri. Importantly, across both groups, increased task performance at post-intervention was associated with decreased activation in the anterior cingulate/paracingulate and cerebellum. This study demonstrated the enhancing effect of a nap on motor learning performance in a sample of individuals with traumatic brain injury, with patterns of neural activation suggesting that the sequence was more automatized in the Sleep group. Strategic placement of a nap after an intense period of motor learning in the medical rehabilitation setting may have important implications for maximizing recovery after traumatic brain injury.

The Application of Alexander Techniques in Music

Instrumental performance is a process of matching the brain and body, especially when facing the piano. Beginners may encounter various problems during the piano learning period, such as memorizing scores, posture, sight singing and ear training. Incorrect playing posture often lays many hidden dangers, ranging from affecting the sound of the instrument to causing serious joint damage and interrupting the playing career. The "Alexander Technique" is a discipline that combines medical human body knowledge to help us understand the direction and working principle of body muscles, so as to correct incorrect playing posture and make the player's career go further and broader This paper will be based on the practical application of the "Alexander technique" in piano teaching, explaining the benefits this technique brings to piano learners

The Role of the Rat Prefrontal Cortex and Sex Differences in Decision-Making.

The prefrontal cortex is critical for decision-making across species, with its activity linked to choosing between options. Drift Diffusion Models (DDMs) are commonly employed to understand the neural computations underlying this behavior. Studies exploring the specific roles of regions of the rodent prefrontal cortex in controlling the decision process are limited. This study explored the role of the prelimbic cortex (PLC) in decision-making using a two-alternative forced-choice task. Rats first learned to report the location of a lateralized visual stimulus. The brightness of the stimulus indicated its reward value. Then, the rats learned to make choices between pairs of stimuli. Sex differences in learning were observed, with females responding faster and more selectively to high-value stimuli than males. DDM analysis found that males had decreased decision thresholds during initial learning, whereas females maintained a consistently higher drift rate. Pharmacological manipulations revealed that PLC inactivation reduced the decision threshold for all rats, indicating that less information was needed to make a choice in the absence of normal PLC processing. Mu opioid receptor stimulation of the PLC had the opposite effect, raising the decision threshold and reducing bias in the decision process towards high-value stimuli. These effects were observed without any impact on the rats' choice preferences. Our findings suggest that PLC has an inhibitory role in the decision process and regulates the amount of evidence that is required to make a choice. That is, PLC activity controls "when", but not "how", to act.Significance Statement This study reports causal evidence for a part of the rat prefrontal cortex, the prelimbic cortex, in controlling the amount of information needed to make a choice. Results were based on reversible inactivation using the GABA-A agonist muscimol and by stimulation of mu opioid receptors using intra-cortical infusions of the selective mu agonist DAMGO. We also found evidence for a sex difference in learning and performing a visually guided two-alternative forced-choice task. Drift Diffusion Models found that females had stable decision processes throughout learning, and showed a persistent bias against the lower value option. By contrast, males exhibited changes in their decision processes, notably reducing the amount of information needed to make choice over the period of early choice learning.

Learning curve for a five-step procedure, transthoracic single-port assisted laparoscopic transabdominal diaphragmatic approach, for Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction

Objective: To investigate the learning curve for a five-step procedure, namely, a transthoracic single-port assisted laparoscopic transabdominal diaphragmatic approach, for Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we analyzed relevant clinical data of 66 patients with Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction who had undergone the five-step procedure performed by the same surgeon in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from May 2017 to April 2023. The learning curve were plotted using cumulative summation analysis and selected indicators, including intraoperative blood loss, duration of surgery, time to first flatus, time to first tolerance of liquid food, length of hospital stay, and incidence of perioperative complications at different stages were compared. The data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0 statistical software. Numerical data are presented as cases (%) and data were analyzed using the χ2 test or Fisher's exact test. Normally distributed measurement data are presented as x±s, and independent sample t-testing was performed for inter group comparison. Non-normally distributed measurement data are presented as M(Q1, Q3) and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for inter group comparison. Results: The five-step procedure had been successfully completed without switching to open surgery in all 66 study patients. There were no perioperative deaths, blood loss was 100 (50, 200) mL and duration of surgery 329.4±87.3 minutes. The equation of optimal fit for the duration of surgery was y=0.031x3-4.4757x2+164.97x-264.4 (P<0.001, R2=0.9797). The cumulative summation learning curve reached a vertex when 25 surgical procedures had accumulated. Using 25 cases as the cut-off, we divided the learning curves into learning and proficiency periods and patients into learning (25) and proficiency period groups (41). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of patients in sex, age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, history of abdominal surgery, comorbidities, preoperative neoadjuvant therapy, maximum tumor diameter, surgical procedure, or T and N stage of tumor (P>0.05). The following factors differed significantly (all P<0.05) between the learning and proficiency stages: in the latter there was less intraoperative blood loss (100 [50, 100] ml vs. 200 [100, 200] ml, U=-3.940, P<0.001), shorter duration of surgery ([289.8±50.7] minutes vs. [394.4±96.0] minutes, t=5.034, P<0.001), more mediastinal lymph nodes removed (5 [2, 8] vs. 2 [1, 5], U=-2.518, P=0.012), earlier time to first flatus (2 [2, 3] days vs. 4 [3, 6] days, U=-4.016, P<0.001), earlier time to first tolerance of liquid food (5 [4, 6] days vs. 7 [6, 8] days, U=-2.922, P=0.003), shorter duration of hospital stay (8 [8, 10] vs. 10 [9, 12] days, U=-2.028, P=0.043). The incidence of surgical complications did not differ significantly between the two groups (P=0.238). Conclusion: Satisfactory results can be achieved with the five-step procedure for patients with Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction once 25 procedures have been performed.

Monitorowanie procesu pisania w języku obcym. Analiza przerw z perspektywy Teorii Systemów Dynamicznych

The paper investigates the dynamic character of pausing behaviour in foreign language writing. In a longitudinal study on Polish learners of Swedish, pause length and frequency, as well as the interplay between pause length and the development of lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, accuracy, and fluency, were investigated. According to the assumptions of Dynamic Systems Theory, intra- and inter-subject variability were analysed. The study has shown that the mean length of pauses did not change during the three-year period of second language learning; however, the frequency of pauses significantly decreased, as demonstrated by the increasing number of words written between pauses. There was a considerable variation within subjects during the entire period, and even moderate inter-subject variability was noticed. The occurrence of longer pauses was almost always interconnected with a higher level of accuracy, syntactic complexity, and fluency. This interplay, however, could only be confirmed at the individual level, showing the necessity of following the development of a second language in individuals rather than for the entire group.

Shipping Market Forecasting Considering the Individual Investor Emotions: A Novel Twofold Partial Swarm Optimization Based Stacked Long Short-Term Memory Model

ABSTRACT Purpose The general purpose of shipping market prediction is to help shipping analysts design a strategy to make shipping strategies. Previous studies have pointed out human emotions has an obvious impact on markets, however, few research focus on utilizing human emotions to improve the shipping market forecasting issue. This paper fills the gap in the literature of considering industrial individual emotions to shipping market prediction issue Methodology We proposed a conceptual framework of an emotion-based shipping market prediction (ESMP) system focused on considering the multidimensional emotions of individual investors. To make it precisely, a two-fold Particle Swarm Optimization (TFPSO) algorithm is proposed conduct the shipping forecasting under the framework of ESMP, with advantages of automatically finding the architecture and hyperparameters of the Deep Long Short-Term Memory (DLSTM) simultaneously in the shipping market forecasting the values of the Baltic Dry, Dirty Tanker and Container indices of ocean transportation in the world ocean during the crisis period 2010–2022 Findings The prediction accuracy of the ESMP was higher than that of the models using the conventional factors in all learning periods of the study, and it was determined that the results complement the sentiment indicator employed to predict the shipping indices. Additionally, the accuracy of the proposed method is superior to conventional neural network models in all used error metrics. Additional Mann–Whitney U test on MSE difference between TFPSO-DLSTM and compared models demonstrates that the significant advantages boosted by TFPSO-DLSTM Originality Shipping sentiment has provided further proof that shipping decisions are significantly driven by emotions. our study shows that individual shipping investors’ sentiment are able to improve shipping rate forecasts significantly, although the magnitudes of the improvements are relatively small from an economic point of view Research implications This study undertook the initiative to procure BDI, BDTI, BCTI, COVID-19 data and shipping sentiment index data through in-depth interviews to provide first-hand perspectives into whether shipping sentiments impact the shipping market trend. It builds upon existing literature on the present stance of deep learning models, which largely relies non-sentiment factors. The study also extends prior literature on hyperparameter searching methods by highlighting the structure of searching method. Besides this, the contribution of this study also aligns with the prior discussions on evolving methodologies in temporal forecasting research Practical implications This study implies that shipping sentiments enables to make better shipping marketing trends, and foster sustainable growth. Shipping fear index serves for measuring investors’ attitude and mood toward shipping markets in terms of the general and certain sectors or assets, possibly promoting the movement of price and providing long-term investors and active traders with trading or arbitrage opportunities. Due to the complexities and regulations of the shipping market, it is essential to collaborate exclusively with shipping sentiment indices with artificial intelligent model in shipping market forecasting research

Exploring cooperative learning as a tool in civic education

ABSTRACT Background Civic participation is a fundamental element of democracy; therefore, upholding and supporting civic participation, especially among the upcoming generation, is important. Political efficacy – an individual’s understanding of their capacity to participate in civic life – has been found to exert an important influence on the expected civic participation of adolescents. The study reported in this article considers how civic participation can be supported through educational efforts to promote students’ political efficacy. Purpose The study is based on a formative intervention project in the tradition of cultural−historical activity theory (CHAT). Cooperative learning techniques were used in a Norwegian social studies classroom with students aged 13 and 14 to explore how the experience was connected to the students’ political efficacy. Methods The data underlying the research were drawn from focus group interviews with 14-year-old Norwegian students, in which the students evaluated and elaborated on their experiences in the cooperative learning period. Findings Cooperative learning has the potential to enhance students’ political efficacy, mainly by providing students with opportunities to practice democratic skills and through peers functioning as political role models. However, the students’ responses point towards tensions within the student group and between the classroom as a unit of learning and the expectations of the classroom as a unit of individuality and evaluation. These key contradictions may hinder the realisation of cooperative learning classrooms and limit the rehearsal space that could be favourable for political efficacy. Conclusions The study illustrates how using cooperative learning in the social studies classroom can be a way to enhance students’ political efficacy. Simultaneously, the classroom context contains historically developed contradictions that shape the students’ understanding of their classroom experiences.

Detailed analysis of learning phases and outcomes in robotic and endoscopic thyroidectomy

BackgroundThyroid surgery has undergone significant transformation with the introduction of minimally invasive techniques, particularly robotic and endoscopic thyroidectomy. These advancements offer improved precision and faster recovery but also present unique challenges. This study aims to compare the learning curves, operational efficiencies, and patient outcomes of robotic versus endoscopic thyroidectomy.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing 258 robotic (da Vinci) and 214 endoscopic thyroidectomy cases. Key metrics such as operation duration, drainage volume, lymph node dissection outcomes, and hypoparathyroidism incidence were assessed to understand surgical learning curves and efficiency.ResultsRobotic thyroidectomy showed a longer learning curve with initially longer operation times and higher drainage volumes but superior lymph node dissection outcomes. Both techniques were safe, with no permanent hypoparathyroidism or recurrent laryngeal nerve damage reported. The study delineated four distinct stages in the robotic and endoscopic surgery learning curve, each marked by specific improvements in proficiency. Endoscopic thyroidectomy displayed a shorter learning curve, leading to quicker operational efficiency gains.ConclusionRobotic and endoscopic thyroidectomies are viable minimally invasive approaches, each with its learning curves and efficiency metrics. Despite initial challenges and a longer learning period for robotic surgery, its benefits in complex dissections may justify specialized training. Structured training programs tailored to each technique are crucial for improving outcomes and efficiency. Future research should focus on optimizing training protocols and increasing accessibility to these technologies, enhancing patient care in thyroid surgery.

Two-stage learning scatter search algorithm for the distributed hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with machine breakdown

The distributed hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with machine breakdown is investigated to reduce the negative impact on real production caused by machine breakdown events. (DHFSPMB). DHFSPMB comprises two subproblems: the maintenance problem with machine breakdown and the distributed hybrid flow shop scheduling problem (DHFSP). A rescheduling method is designed to address the maintenance problem. Subsequently, a two-stage learning scatter search (TLSS) algorithm is proposed for optimizing the DHFSP when the machines break down. Firstly, a mixed integer programming model for DHFSPMB is constructed. Secondly, TLSS employs an improved reinforcement learning approach to enhance the capability of exploration by guiding the direction of global search. A two-stage approach is designed to address the lack of knowledge in the early periods of learning. Finally, a hybrid search strategy is devised to enhance the development capability of TLSS. The experimental results demonstrate that the TLSS algorithm outperforms the comparison algorithms in effectively addressing the DHFSPMB.