Scientific Knowledge Research Articles

Synthesizing a three Layer Architectural Framework for Adaptive Intelligent User Interfaces for the Disabled Community

Knowledge acquisition has been a bottleneck in the design for efficient User Interfaces for Disabled Community. The best suited interfaces have been oriented towards adaptability that is the User Interface needs to adapt and configure itself according to the needs and likes of the user. Such user interfaces can arouse interest in the mind of the disabled and motivate them to become an asset to the nation, and use their intellect to contribute to the society. This study pioneers an innovative approach, aiming to develop User Interfaces (UIs) for the Disabled Community. The research introduces a comprehensive three-layer architectural framework employing Learning, Trust, and Knowledge Models. Unlike conventional approaches, this Architectural Framework is designed to learn not only from the Disabled but also from their Assistants/Guides, employing principles of knowledge engineering. While the former offers static context, the latter contributes dynamic insights by observing behaviors, responses, and actions of the Disabled. This symbiotic relationship forms the foundational basis for developing intelligent adaptive UI’s that not only accommodate but actively engage and motivate the Disabled Community. The proposed research methodology involves a meticulous gathering of data through extensive user studies and interactions. By using the Human Computer Interface technology, the study aims to develop a robust framework capable of comprehensively understanding the preferences, needs, and nuances of disabled users. The expected outcomes include the development of a prototype adaptive UI, validated through rigorous testing and feedback from the disabled community. Additionally, the study anticipates contributing a comprehensive set of guidelines and best practices for designing intelligent adaptive UIs, ensuring comfort and ease for impaired users, boosting their confidence and encouraging greater involvement in socio-development activities.

AI in Scientific Research: Empowering Researchers with Intelligent Tools

This article explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on scientific research across various disciplines. It examines how AI-driven tools are revolutionizing data analysis, simulation, and hypothesis generation, particularly in fields such as genomics, climate science, and materials science. The article discusses the acceleration of discovery processes through AI, highlighting its role in enabling sophisticated analysis of complex datasets, developing predictive models, and facilitating automated experimentation. Ethical considerations, including the need for transparency and reproducibility in AI-assisted research, are addressed. The synergy between human creativity and AI capabilities is explored, emphasizing how AI augments human ingenuity and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration. Case studies illustrate successful implementations of AI in scientific inquiry, demonstrating its potential to enhance research methodologies and outcomes. The article also looks ahead to the prospects of AI in scientific research, considering emerging technologies and the evolving role of AI in the scientific process. By providing a comprehensive overview of AI's current applications and future potential in scientific research, this article underscores the pivotal role of AI in advancing scientific knowledge and addressing complex global challenges.

Identifikasi Isu Pendidikan Islam di Era Global: Pengaruh Globalisasi pada Profesi Guru

The era of globalization, which has shaped the modern world, has influenced the education sector with various issues that have significantly transformed society, schools, educators, and students. In the Islamic education sector, globalization presents unique challenges for educators or teachers to demonstrate the relevance of Islamic educational institutions, which emphasize the inculcation of religious values and the development of noble character in their students. To understand the changes and issues affecting Islamic education and to identify the impact of globalization on teachers, this article is compiled using a literature review approach to provide broad and comprehensive descriptive results. From the exploration of several sources and literature, it is found that there are several challenges faced by Islamic education in the global era, such as conformism, the dichotomy between faith-based and scientific knowledge, changes in educational orientation, as well as moral and personality crises. These challenges urge teachers to continually be able and ready to equip themselves with a correct and profound understanding of religion, along with mastery of science and technology, in order to keep pace with the advancement of an information-based and digital society. This can be achieved by instilling the right understanding and practice of Islamic values while being adaptive, responsive, and innovative in addressing changes, namely by balancing globalization with the correct acquisition of knowledge and the use of technology for educational development.

Similarities and Divergences in the Philosophical Thought of Plato, Francis Bacon, and René Descartes

The article "Similarities and Divergences in the Philosophical Thought of Plato, Francis Bacon, and René Descartes" explores the similarities and differences in the philosophical currents of these authors, focusing on their influence on modern and contemporary epistemology. It highlights the role of Platonic idealism in contemporary science through a dialectical engagement with Baconian empiricism and Cartesian rationalism. The main objective is to demonstrate the importance of Platonic idealism as an epistemological driver in the evolution of science, emphasizing the interconnections between the philosophical currents discussed. The study is a theoretical review based on a comparative analysis of classical and modern philosophical texts, utilizing a total of 14 references. The research focuses on the similarities and divergences between these philosophical currents throughout history. The most significant findings show that, although there are fundamental differences between idealism, empiricism, and rationalism, these currents converge at key points in the structuring of modern science. In particular, Platonic idealism provides a profound contribution to scientific knowledge, despite having been underestimated by the experimental method. The article concludes that Platonic idealism, along with Baconian empiricism and Cartesian rationalism, has been essential to the evolution of science. These philosophies, though divergent, have created a common foundation that has enabled the development of scientific knowledge.

‘Does the Environment Only Exist Here?’ Hyper-Environmentalism and Eco-Infantilisation on Mayotte Island

ABSTRACT Based on extensive ethnographic research on Mayotte (Indian Ocean), this article presents a case study on how environmentalism manifests in one of the world's richest biodiversity sites. It illustrates how Mayotte, the last and poorest French overseas department, is shaped by ‘hyper-environmentalism’ – where residents are forced to be ‘hyper-aware’, ‘hyper-educated’, and ‘hyper-committed’ to environmental issues. The paper discusses how Mayotte is constructed by the Wazungu ("white people") as a tropical ‘otherness’ and describes the process of ‘eco-infantilisation’, where the Maorais people are paternalistically portrayed as ‘children’ who need to be taught to ‘see’, ‘read’, and protect their environment. Finally, it shows how this effort to ‘change mindsets’ fails because it doesn't integrate new scientific knowledge with local expertises, which are often not recognised. The aim of this paper is to provide insights into the diverse manifestations of environmentalism in a post-colonial, tropical, insular, and ‘southern’ territory like Mayotte.

Социокультурные и гносеологические аспекты соотношения веры и знания

The study aims to identify the socio-cultural and gnoseological features of the relationship between knowledge and faith, which are crucial for understanding both scientific knowledge and faith as a socio-cultural phenomenon and the essence of religious consciousness. The article analyzes questions related to understanding faith as an acceptance of a particular statement as true without requiring justification or proof; the juxtaposition of faith and knowledge; and the opinion that there is “faith” in science and philosophy in the same sense as in religion. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that knowledge is not only not opposed to faith but is considered a necessary element of faith itself. The results of the study make it possible to reconsider traditional views on the relationship between religious faith and knowledge and to assert that knowing faith, being a gnoseological phenomenon and a psychological state, goes beyond the evaluation of statements for truthfulness into the sphere of people’s personal relationships with God and with each other.

Introduction: participatory knowledge co-production

ABSTRACT This special Forum presents three articles that demonstrate efforts at participatory knowledge co-production. The three experiences were successful in the modest sense that they provided meaningful agency for participants and their knowledge roles, though in different ways. All three articles comment on the participatory turn that emphasizes an increasing role in public participation in scientific and policy data knowledge production and acknowledge that participation can have diverse meanings, contingent on the interests of the groups involved. This can mean a performative participation with coercive means to achieve particular goals with the participants or the groups that they represent; alternatively, participation can mean liberatory approaches that are designed to remove oppressive structures from disenfranchised populations and shift power to them. The cases here add nuance to critiques of power. Two cases demonstrate how participants are molded to conform to institutional power structures, though at least some participants find that shift (and recognition of their contribution) legitimizing and desirable. While each considers the relevance of participation for democracy, they highlight differences in values related to democracy, as regards whether participation is the endpoint value in democracy, or else whether democracy is a larger process towards redistributing power towards achieving equity and justice.

How Well Does the F-10 Australian Curriculum Prepare Students to be Water Literate Citizens?

Abstract Global water availability and management are persistent challenges to sustainable futures, yet people may have limited understandings of water systems and may hold negative attitudes towards sustainable solutions. With education a mechanism for realising a water literate citizenry, this study asks: How well does the Australian curriculum prepare students to be water literate citizens? McCarroll and Hamann’s (2020) Dimensions of Water Literacy guided a document analysis of Version 9.0 of the F-10 Australian Science and Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) curricula. Findings revealed that concepts related to water literacy were largely confined to the Year 4 Science and Year 7 Geography curricula. In Science, the dimensions of Science and Systems Knowledge and Local Knowledge were through concepts related to the natural and urban water cycle. In HASS, the Hydrosocial Knowledge dimension was privileged, owing to people’s interactions with water. While there were occurrences of Functional Knowledge in both curricula, the organisation of the curriculum according to knowledge and skills does not explicitly focus on the development of students’ positive attitudes and values towards water conservation, nor engage them in individual or collective decision-making and action. Implications for the Australian curriculum and what it means to be a water literate citizen are discussed.

Current State of Scientific Knowledge on Curcumin Encapsulation and Applications.

The yellow pigment curcumin has long been used in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant activities. Over the past half-century, scien-tific investigations have shown that curcumin is endowed with additional health benefits be-cause it can modify key molecular targets associated with a number of pathologies, such as diabetes, cancer, and arthritis, in addition to cardiovascular, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Crohn's diseases. However, this molecule has several disadvantages, such as low bioavail-ability and solubility, severe oxidative destruction, light sensitivity, fast systemic clearance and breakdown at alkaline pH levels. To address these drawbacks, several methods of micro-encapsulation employing a variety of shell materials have been investigated. These techniques contributed toward the increase of curcumin's solubility and stability against heat, light, oxy-gen, and an alkaline pH. The various shell materials and methods used to microencapsulate this chemical are the main topics of this review. The use of microencapsulated curcumin in food, medicine, and cosmetics is also discussed in more detail. Recent relevant research from the last few years has been given in this area, along with future difficulties.

Mechanisms and functions of the cerebral-cognitive reserve in patients with Alzheimer's disease: a narrative review

BACKGROUND: The need for scientific knowledge about aging is predicated on the demand of modern society to extend the active life of a person. To maintain intellectual longevity, it is necessary to take into account not only the pathological, but also compensatory mechanisms that arise during aging. The cerebral-cognitive reserve (CCR) influences the rate of transition from pre-phenomenological stages to the clinical stage of the disease, thereby changing the prognosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AIM: The aim of this work was to review meta-analyses from studies that have examined the principles and functions of the CCR in people with AD. METHODS: The work included 83 scientific publications devoted to the issues of the CCR in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. The Results and Discussion sections of this article provide reviews of the results of 12 meta-analyses published from 2012 to 2024 and selected from the PubMed and eLibrary databases using the following keywords in English and Russian: “cerebral reserve”, “cognitive “reserve”, and “Alzheimer’s disease”. The scope of the definition was not limited, since the goal here was to determine the terminological boundaries of the concepts of “cognitive reserve” and “single brain reserve”. RESULTS: The modern understanding of AD as a biological continuum covering the preclinical, prodromal, and clinical phases of the disease makes it possible to infer that insufficiency of protective factors underlies the progression of AD. The cognitive reserve is involved in the sanogenetic protective mechanism during neurodegeneration. The cognitive reserve is a theoretical concept that reflects modern research’s understanding of how the integrative functioning of the brain (cerebral) and cognitive reserves extend the period of active intellectual longevity through energy-saving mechanisms. It considers these mechanisms as central to healthy mental activity and in slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. At some point, an increase in excess interneuronal activity that reflects the hypercompensatory function of the reserve would accelerate the depletion of brain structures and contribute to clinical and psychopathological manifestations of AD. CONCLUSION: The concept of the CCR puts the spotlight on the need to determine the compensatory indicators of cognitive deficit in AD, assess the architecture and volume of the reserve, and develop and follow protocols for its maintenance. It appears just as crucial to adopt measures to prevent the Reserve’s depletion as early as at the preclinical stages of the disease. Elaborating protective and compensatory mechanisms that help to maintain the functional activity of the brain in conditions of neurodegeneration, that is, CCR, require further research and can form a conceptual basis for the prevention of AD, starting from the preclinical stages of the disease.

Exploring The Didactic Transposition of The Metric Space

The didactic transposition is used to adapt scientific knowledge into taught knowledge for students through two steps, namely external and internal transposition. This process is crucial when applied to mathematics content as it enhances the understanding of complex concepts and makes knowledge more accessible to learners. To create effective lessons and scholarly knowledge objects, teachers must establish connections between their learned knowledge and the lesson structure. Metric and probabilistic metric spaces are two complex structures of knowledge that require understanding and teaching. This article explores the didactic transposition approach for teaching the concept of metric space, including probabilistic metric space, through external and internal steps of transposition, it provides two examples of transposing the Metric Distance notion in the Euclidean space, as well as two examples of the probabilistic metric space, aiming to transpose function distribution distance. It also outlines strategies for introducing metric spaces to students, referencing examples while acknowledging the teaching obstacles posed by this concept.

The Role of Attachment Styles in Marital Stability: A Psychological Approach to Strengthening Relationships

Purpose: The present study attempts to establish how attaching styles influence marital stability. To help determine how the various attachment patterns or styles-secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized-influence communication quality, conflict resolution, and overall marital satisfaction. Provide an understanding of how attachment styles, which are developed during one's childhood years, impinge on adult-to-adult relationships, particularly in marriage. Understand the rise in divorce rates and marital problems based on exploration of attachment styles that strengthen or weaken the marital bond. Add to the increasing scientific knowledge repository by focusing on real-life marital outcomes related to psychological theories of attachment. Material and Methods: The research design for this study is a mixed-methods design, which includes the following; Quantitative Component: Standardized questionnaires related to attachment style and relationship satisfaction scales will be administered to 200 couples. Qualitative Component: 20 couples from each category of different attachment styles will be interviewed in depth. This will be done at the marriage counseling centers in Houston, Texas. Population: Married individuals from different age brackets and years of marriage. Sampling: Stratified random sampling to ensure that there is a fair representation of marital backgrounds. Statistical Analysis: Application of correlation and regression analysis will help identify if attachment styles significantly predict marital outcomes. Findings: The key results of the study are that secure Attachment: Couples with at least one partner showing a secure attachment style exhibit: Improved communication, Successful conflict resolution, Overall relationship satisfaction, Insecure Attachment Styles, Anxious and avoidant are attached to less satisfaction and more conflict in marriage. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Based on this research, our recommendations in the present study are as follows: The need for Attachment-Based Interventions and Relationship Education Programs.

Conducting marine genetic research for whom? Mapping knowledge flows from science to patents

Marine genetic resources hold great value for biotechnological innovation and sustainability-oriented research. However, studies indicate that intellectual property rights pertaining to these resources are concentrated in a handful of companies and countries, triggering contentious international debates. This paper highlights an overlooked dimension: the flow of scientific knowledge in the provision and use of marine genetic research. We identified 23,417 scientific studies that use marine genetic sequences, traced patent references to these studies, and revealed provider and user countries. We found that molecular biological research, oftentimes on bacterial species, attracted the most patenting interest. Some countries owned relatively more patents than they provided in science, with the U.S. benefiting the most from available research. Science by developing countries’ researchers saw limited uptake in patents. These findings aim to inform international biodiversity regimes, such as the UN Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), on how to more equitably distribute marine genetic resources’ economic, socio-cultural, and ecological benefits.

Ontology-Based Landslide Knowledge Representation and Hazard Assessment Research

The occurrence of landslides is characterized by suddenness and unpredictability, with many complex relationships among various influencing factors. This study, by introducing the ontology of knowledge engineering, summarizes the characteristics of landslide knowledge and constructs a multidisciplinary, multi-level, and multi-perspective ontology of the landslide domain. Through in-depth analysis of existing landslide research systems and methods, the study defines the basic concepts, attributes, and their complex relationships and rules related to landslides. This research expresses landslide knowledge using the Web Ontology Language (OWL), enabling effective storage and retrieval of landslide knowledge, thus promoting the systematization and standardization of knowledge in the landslide domain. Furthermore, leveraging the high knowledge density feature of the constructed landslide domain ontology, this study extends traditional landslide evaluation and prediction methods by introducing more evaluation indicators based on the constructed landslide ontology. The comprehensive evaluation of landslide risk is conducted using the contribution-weighting method, providing new insights and tools for landslide risk management and decision-making.

Designing Learning Centres that Facilitate Knowledge Construction on Science Process Skills in Early Childhood Classrooms

Science education is perceived to have the potential to develop 21st century competencies. In Zimbabwe, the teaching of science in early childhood by using learning centres is considered as a way of empowering young learners with scientific knowledge and skills to become productive citizens in future. To strengthen the initiative, resources are being channelled and policies crafted to support the teaching of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Despite considerable efforts to introduce STEM in early childhood development (ECD), research concerning the benefits of developing science skills using learning centres is sparse. This study adopted an interpretive paradigm and multiple case study design for three schools and three purposively selected ECD teachers. Data was solicited through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and classroom observations. The variable nature of learning centres in ECD classrooms is an indication of shortcomings in policy on teaching using learning centres. At learning centres, learners construct scientific knowledge, ideas and skills through interaction with peers and developmentally appropriate materials. Teachers should be creative and innovative and create learning centres that enable learners to explore the world and construct scientific knowledge through active participation and sharing ideas. A policy to guide the teachers on constructing appropriate learning centres for effective teaching of science skills should be drafted.

Elucidation of the Binding Interaction between β-sitosterol and Lysozyme using Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics and Surface Plasmon Resonance Analysis.

In this study, the binding behavior of β-sitosterol with lysozyme (LZM) was elucidated by surface plasmon resonance (SPR), computational molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation studies. Chicken egg white lysozyme (CEWLZM) served as a model protein. Tri-N-acetylchitotriose (NAG3) was used in the redocking experiments to generate precise binding location of the protein. β-sitosterol displayed a slightly better binding energy (-6.68±0.04 kcal/mol) compared to NAG3. Further molecular dynamics simulations and MMPBSA analysis revealed that residues Glu35, Gln57-Asn59, Trp62, Ile98, Ala107 and Trp108 contribute to the binding energy. Then, 2.5 mg/mL CEWLZM, 1X PBS buffer (pH 7.4) as running and coupling buffers, 30 µL/min as flow rate were applied for SPR analysis. Serial β-sitosterol injections (20-150 μM) were performed through SPR sensor surface. According to SPR binding study, KD value for β-sitosterol-CEWLZM binding interaction was calculated as 71.34±9.79 µM. The results could provide essential knowledge for nutrition, pharmaceutical science, and oral biology.

The role of action concepts in physical reasoning: insights from late childhood.

A fundamental component of human cognition is the ability to intuitively reason about behaviours of objects and systems in the physical world without resorting to explicit scientific knowledge. This skill was traditionally considered a symbolic process. However, in the last decades, there has been a shift towards ideas of embodiment, suggesting that accessing physical knowledge and predicting physical outcomes is grounded in bodily interactions with the environment. Infants and children, who learn mainly through their embodied experiences, serve as a model to probe the link between reasoning and physical concepts. Here, we tested school-aged children (5- to 15-year-olds) in online reasoning games that involve different physical action concepts such as supporting, launching and clearing. We assessed changes in children's performance and strategies over development and their relationships with the different action concepts. Children reasoned more accurately in problems that involved supporting actions compared to launching or clearing actions. Moreover, when children failed, they were more strategic in subsequent attempts when problems involved support rather than launching or clearing. Children improved with age, but improvements differed across action concepts. Our findings suggest that accessing physical knowledge and predicting physical events are affected by action concepts, and those effects change over development. This article is part of the theme issue 'Minds in movement: embodied cognition in the age of artificial intelligence'.

Constructions of “female autism” in professional practices: A Foucauldian discourse analysis

The rapid rise of literature concerned with “female autism” warrants critical analysis due to its implications for women and girls and understandings of neurodiversity. We sought to explore these implications, as well as broader institutional and ideological ramifications, through examining how female autism is constructed in professional practices. A Foucauldian discourse analysis was undertaken of descriptions of female autism in reports and resources provided by UK-based clinicians. Female autism was framed in these texts as an advance in medical–scientific knowledge and gender equality, its identification in women and girls argued to be crucial to their personal flourishing. However, attending to the power dynamics at play, a more complicated story developed, whereby the construction of female autism extends the reach of the “expert gaze” through expanding the category of autism while reproducing patriarchal norms and reinforcing hegemonic, binary understandings of gender. Interpretive in nature, our analysis intends a troubling of female autism, with the aim of encouraging critical feminist theoretical engagement as well as reflective clinical practice.

HeritageRoots: Developing Interconnected Immersive Experiences for Cultural Preservation and Education

In this paper, we present technical implementation details, describe the virtual world procedural generation pipeline, and discuss potential uses in cultural preservation, museum exhibits, and education of HeritageRoots, an innovative software infrastructure designed for preserving indigenous narratives and oral histories. HeritageRoots consists of two interconnected systems - (1) a web-based knowledge graph (KG) data collection and management system which stores, connects, and presents indigenous traditional knowledge (ITK) in the form of narratives, myths, and testimonies from multiple cultures and languages; (2) a virtual environment rendering pipeline which utilizes large language models (LLM), Unity3D, and Meta Quest software development kit (SDK) to procedurally generate virtual worlds from the KG data. Preliminary system evaluation with Ecuadorian Kichwa narratives showed promising results in (1) academic community interest and support, (2) the possibility of developing an infrastructure capable of connecting indigenous narratives with modern scientific knowledge via KGs and (3) procedurally generating virtual worlds from KG.

Exploring Nature and Learning Science Through an Afterschool Birding Club

Background: Birding is ideal for engaging students in authentic scientific inquiry because it relies on specialized equipment, requires keen observation skills, engages prior knowledge, and activates critical thinking. However, there is very little research on the benefits of birding in K-12 education. Purpose: Two elementary teachers created an afterschool bird club to engage students in birding to help them develop a better appreciation for their surroundings and increase awareness of the natural world. This qualitative study was conducted over two academic years and investigated the role an afterschool birding club had on students’ interaction with nature and their peers. Methodology/Approach: Using a primarily ethnographic approach, teacher interviews, parent survey data and interviews, and field notes guided the understanding of the research question. Findings/Conclusions: The study reveals an evident value for elementary students in social interactions, improved relationships with others, a building of scientific knowledge and awareness, and an increased appreciation for nature. Implications: Benefits include allowing students to interact with tools and materials relating to science and bird identification. They make this a fun way to enact their passion and hopefully inspire children to develop a love for birds, birding, and a desire to conserve the local habitat.