Survival Skills Research Articles

The Impacts of Teachings of a Neo-Prophetic Church on Adolescents’ Well-being and Character Development

Abstract Neo-Prophetic churches in Ghana are the fastest growing churches and have been highly criticised, but little is known about their teachings and potential impacts on adolescent congregants. The present study explored the content and impacts of the teachings of a Neo-Prophetic church on the well-being and character development of adolescent congregants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 adolescents aged between thirteen to nineteen years in a Neo-Prophetic church in Accra, Ghana. Following thematic analysis, the findings suggest that although the Neo-Prophetic church’s teachings have positive content that equipped adolescents with virtues, survival and leadership skills, and support for career development, there are negative elements that may cause adolescents to develop depression and low self-esteem, lack of reasoning and discernment skills, and potentially negative attitudes toward women. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Specific but not general declines in attention and executive function with aging: Converging cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence across the adult lifespan.

Attention and executive function (EF) are vulnerable to aging. However, whether all these functions generally decline with aging is not known. Furthermore, most evidence is based on cross-sectional data and fewer follow-up data are available in the literature. Longitudinal follow-up studies are necessary to characterize individualized and precise changes in cognitive function. Additionally, relatively few aging studies have included middle-aged adults to examine age-related differences in attention and EF. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether general or specific attention and EF decline with aging from adulthood to old age by combining cross-sectional and longitudinal follow-up approaches. This study recruited 253 participants aged 20 to 78 years. passing a prescreening procedure (see main text for detail) for the baseline session, and 123 of them were invited to return 1 ~ 2 years after their first visit to participate in the follow-up session. The participants completed a series of attention and EF tasks at both the baseline and follow-up sessions, which measured alerting, orienting, conflict control, stopping, memory updating, and switching abilities. We applied linear and nonlinear regression models to evaluate the cross-sectional age effect on attention and EF and employed a modified Brinley plot to inspect follow-up performance against baseline in attention and EF. The results of cross-sectional data showed that older adults exhibited decreased efficiency in alerting, stopping, and memory updating but paradoxically increased efficiency in conflict control and switching abilities and no changes in orienting efficiency with age. However, the results of longitudinal data showed that only alerting and memory updating continued to show decreased efficiency. Furthermore, conflict control and switching showed increased efficiency with aging, whereas the orienting network, and stopping no longer showed decreased efficiency. Thus, converging the cross-sectional and longitudinal data showed that the alerting and memory updating function exhibited the most robust deficit with age (cross-sectional) and aging (longitudinal). Alerting and memory updating abilities are crucial survival skills for human beings. Therefore, developing methods to prevent and improve an individual's alertness and working memory ability is an important practical issue in aging research.

Advanced Bionic Attachment Equipment Inspired by the Attachment Performance of Aquatic Organisms: A Review.

In nature, aquatic organisms have evolved various attachment systems, and their attachment ability has become a specific and mysterious survival skill for them. Therefore, it is significant to study and use their unique attachment surfaces and outstanding attachment characteristics for reference and develop new attachment equipment with excellent performance. Based on this, in this review, the unique non-smooth surface morphologies of their suction cups are classified and the key roles of these special surface morphologies in the attachment process are introduced in detail. The recent research on the attachment capacity of aquatic suction cups and other related attachment studies are described. Emphatically, the research progress of advanced bionic attachment equipment and technology in recent years, including attachment robots, flexible grasping manipulators, suction cup accessories, micro-suction cup patches, etc., is summarized. Finally, the existing problems and challenges in the field of biomimetic attachment are analyzed, and the focus and direction of biomimetic attachment research in the future are pointed out.

The Effects of Respiratory Training Combined with Limb Exercise on Pulmonary Function and Quality of Life in Patients with Bronchiectasis.

To investigate the effects of respiratory rehabilitation training combined with limb rehabilitation on sputum clearance and quality of life in patients with bronchiectasis. A retrospective analysis of 86 patients with bronchiectasis was divided into an intervention group and an observation group, with 43 cases in each group. All patients were above 18 years of age with no history of relevant drug allergies. Patients in the observation group were treated with conventional drugs, and those in the intervention group were given respiratory rehabilitation training and limb rehabilitation on this basis. After three months of treatment, the indexes of sputum discharge, sputum traits, lung function, and the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) were compared and quality of life and survival skills were assessed using the Barthel index and a quality-of-life comprehensive assessment questionnaire (GQOLI-74). The percentage of patients with mild Barthel index in the intervention group was higher than that in the observation group, and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). After treatment, the scores of life quality and the lung function in the intervention group were higher than those in the observation group (both P < 0.05). After three months of treatment, the sputum volume and sputum viscosity scores of the two groups were higher than those before treatment (P < 0.05). Respiratory rehabilitation training with limb exercise rehabilitation can effectively improve the sputum clearance rate, lung function, and quality of life of patients with bronchiectasis and is thus worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Observational learning in rats: Interplay between demonstrator and observer behavior

BackgroundObservational learning is a vital skill for survival. This form of learning has been seen in humans and certain non-human animals. However, the neural circuitry underlying this form of learning is still poorly understood. New methodTo better understand the factors underlying successful observation in rats, we employed a task where an observer must base its behavior on that of a demonstrator rat to identify a reward location. A comparison was made of behavior during a social and non-social observation condition. ResultsObservers oriented more, responded faster and omitted less responses in the social compared to the non-social condition. Observer performance was also linked to initial orientation, proximity, and the manner in which the demonstrator rat performed the task. Comparison with existing methodPrevious work on observational learning encompassed multiple exposures to a single solution over days or weeks. The current method provides data from multiple individual novel observational learning trials, leading to much faster and more robust social learning. This method provides a clearly defined interval in which observation must take place. Allowing for precise tracking of both the observer and demonstrator behavior during the learning period. ConclusionsThis study highlights observer and demonstrator interplay in successful observational learning and provides a novel method for analyzing social behavior in rodents.

Knitting as a Way of Honoring Black Ancestry and Creating Storytelling Through Community, Belonging, and the Reframing of Grief: A Womanist Perspective (Le tricot comme moyen d’honorer l’héritage noir et de créer la narration à travers la communauté, l’appartenance et le recadrage du deuil : une perspective féministe noire)

This paper is written with the flow of journey. It challenges the way that research is traditionally experienced in the field of art therapy in that it calls upon womanism with its emphasis on place making, survival skills, Black diasporic connectivity, storytelling, and experience centering, with an understanding that within a story there is more occurring than just the words spoken. It is written to be read as a whole, flowing experience and recognizes, openly, that the preface, research, and methodology all fed into the outcome. The research from its concept to completion was a back-and-forth process that needed honoring for its story and contribution just as much as the data output it created. Stories build on stories, as memories build on memories, in a messy, nonlinear way that is deeply reflective of life. This paper utilizes nontraditional research headings to honor the story.

Roblox-based tsunami survival game: A tool to stimulate early childhood disaster preparedness skills

Disaster education for early childhood is crucial, especially in Indonesia, which is located within the Ring of Fire, an area prone to various disasters, including tsunamis. Children are a vulnerable group in disaster situations, as they are susceptible to physical and psychological negative impacts. In this context, a game-based approach becomes an attractive alternative as it combines interactive and enjoyable learning experiences. The objective of this study is to explore the effectiveness of using this game as a means of teaching tsunami preparedness. The Tsunami Survival game has visually appealing, child-friendly graphics and easily understandable elements. This study was conducted at Darul Hikmah Kindergarten in Kajhu Village, Aceh Besar District, focusing on the utilization of a game-based approach, specifically the Roblox-based Tsunami Survival game, to educate and stimulate disaster preparedness skills among 20 children aged 4-6 years. The game has equipped children about the actions to be taken during a tsunami through engaging storytelling and gameplay. It incorporates age-appropriate content, interactive gameplay, and virtual scenarios to engage children in learning about evacuation, emergency response, and survival skills. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted to evaluate the impact of the game-based approach on the children's disaster preparedness skills. At the same time, questionnaires and interviews gathered qualitative data on their engagement and perceived learning outcomes. The expected outcomes include improvement knowledge and awareness of tsunami preparedness, as well as insights into the practical implementation of game-based learning in early childhood education. This research contributes to the development of effective strategies for disaster education and resilience-building among young children, leveraging the popularity and accessibility of gaming platforms.

The Tales of the Philippine Coast Guard Personnel in Responding to the Community Needs

The Philippine Coast Guard personnel experienced a lot of challenges as they put their lives at risk while saving the community against the threat brought by the calamity. One of this life threating incident is the strong typhoon that hits Misamis Occidental. This typhoon gave the people fear in their hearts and mind specially the Philippine Coast Guard Personnel who was the one saving the lives of the community even if it costs their lives. Another incident was also when Super typhoon Odette hit the Philippines. This typhoon was hailed as one of the strongest typhoon that happened in the country that brought torrential rains, strong winds and floods. The study explored the experiences of the Philippine Coast Guard Personnel during their actual rescue or how they respond to the situation during the calamity. There were ten participants who experienced saving lives and properties during calamities served as the participant of the study. Data was obtained through the interview and analyzed through Moustaka’s Transcendental Phenomenological data analysis approach. The generated data from the participants were analyzed and gathered four (4) themes, which include: (1) Motivated to Serve; (2) Prepared to Respond to the Community Needs; (3) Resistant of the Citizens; (4) Job Satisfaction. The government and the community should continue showing their support towards the Philippine Coast Guard organization, especially in times of calamities. The government should conduct a training program for the personnel and also for the community to improve their survival skills. The organization should also conduct survival training or seminars to increase the level of preparedness of the community whenever calamity will arrive.

Effects of prefrontal and parietal neuromodulation on magnitude processing and integration.

Numerical cognition is an essential skill for survival, which includes the processing of discrete and continuous quantities, involving a mainly right fronto-parietal network. However, the neurocognitive systems underlying the processing and integration of discrete and continuous quantities are currently under debate. Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques have been used in the study of the neural basis of numerical cognition with a spatial, temporal and functional resolution superior to other neuroimaging techniques. The present randomized sham-controlled single-blinded trial addresses the involvement of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the right intraparietal sulcus in magnitude processing and integration. Multifocal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation was applied online during the execution of magnitude comparison tasks in three conditions: right prefrontal, right parietal and sham stimulation. The results show that prefrontal stimulation produced a moderated decrease in response times in all magnitude processing and integration tasks compared to sham condition. While parietal stimulation had no significant effect on any of the tasks. The effect found is interpreted as a generalized improvement in processing speed and magnitude integration due to right prefrontal neuromodulation, which may be attributable to domain-general or domain-specific factors.

Pengaruh Kegiatan Ekstrakurikuler Tapak Suci terhadap Kemampuan Motorik Kasar pada Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun di TK Aba 2 Pendil

Early childhood is an age group that is in a unique development and a lot of children's potential can be developed in this period which is often called the golden age period. In this period the process of development occurs simultaneously in all aspects of child development, one of which is physical motor. However, currently there are many children who are still not interested in motor learning, because they are influenced by gadgets. This research is motivated by the lack of varied learning models so that children's gross motor skills have not developed ideally. Children's physical and motor development can be very important, because of situations for children to adapt survival skills, for example sports consisting of walking, running, jumping, holding objects using both hands &amp; sharing social skills while playing with friends The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Tapak Suci extracurricular activities on children aged 5-6 years. This study uses experimental research methods. Data collection techniques using observation, questionnaires, and documentation. Data analysis used the Kolmogorov Smirnov T-Test. Based on the results of calculations using SPSS 16, a significance value (2-tailed) of 0.00 &lt;0.05 is obtained, then Ho is rejected and Ha is accepted, the conclusion is that there is an influence in Tapak Suci extracurricular activities on children's gross motor skills.

Education during Pandemic: Perspectives of Secondary School English Teachers from Malaysia, Nepal, and Bangladesh

One of the most affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic was education. Abrupt and sudden changes in teaching and learning practices that teachers and students experienced were unprecedented, and the effect is still felt today. Hence, the study sought to identify the challenges secondary English language teachers in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Nepal faced during the pandemic. Adopting a Comparative Case Study (CCS) research model, this was a transnational effort to explore the experiences of a cross-border ELT professional community teaching under various restrictions and limitations imposed by the governments in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Five key challenges emerged during the findings, namely: (i) teaching and learning dificulties, (ii) unreliable and invalid assessments, (iii) infrastructural hurdles in a home learning environment, (iv) student displacement, and (v) compromised teacher wellbeing. In retrospect, there was a cause for optimism as teachers acquired crucial survival skills, yet most challenges remain valid to this day. So various stakeholders must remain vigilant and devise robust measures in anticipation of future events of this kind and scale.

임실하가 구석기유적의 돌날제작기법 연구

The blade is a representative artifact of the upper Paleolithic of Korea. The study of the manufacturing techniques of the blade and restoration of it play an important role in understanding of survival skills of upper Paleolithic human. This paper researches into the technology and process of the blade production through the blade production technology we learned from ‘Refitting artifact’ of Imsil Haga site, and analogizes the kind of the hammer which they used for the blade production in comparison with the existing research result of experimental archaeology on the blade production. Restoring the blade production process as a result of the analysis of ‘refitting artifacts’, 1. Shaping, removed cortical face and unnecessary parts of the raw material are made into sizes and shapes suitable for blade production using stone hammer direct percussion (refitting artifacts 1, 3). 2. creation of a striking platform, 3. blade debitage using the Antler hammer direct percussion. (refitting artifacts 1, 3) 4. Change the striking platform according to the production process, and blade debitage by making the most of the stones several times (refitting artifacts 1, 2). 5. When knapping accidents (step, hinge, and flange) appeared on the blade core, or when the size of the core became smaller and it became difficult to make a blade of the desired size, the blade was discarded without production more blades. The reason for the abandonment of the blade was 1. If it is no longer possible to make the blade due to the Knapping accidents (step, plunging, hinged), 2. If the size of the blade cannot be made, The ‘Refitting artifact 1’ includes two tools (tanged point), which analyzed the length and production space of the tool that the tool maker wanted. First of all, considering that the length of the blade identified in ‘Refitting artifact 1’ is about 40 to 88mm, and the tanged point is about 51, 54mm, it is thought that the stone maker made a blade with a length of about 50 to 70mm or made a tool. The excavation location of tanged point is about 2m away from the central part of the bladecore, and it is thought that the tool was made by moving the blade after manufacturing it.

Classroom Teacher’s Digital Literacy Level based on Instant Digital Competence Assessment (IDCA) Perspective

Technological developments have made digital literacy one of the survival skills in the 21st century, which is linked to development of teacher core competencies, and digital literacy. This study aims to evaluate the level of digital literacy among teachers in the classroom. This descriptive qualitative case study involved 6 teachers at elementary school in Surakarta as the subjects which were chosen through purposive sampling by using digital literacy framework based on the Instant Digital Competence Assessment (IDCA) perspective. It classifies digital literacy into three dimensions, namely technology, cognitive, and ethics. The results showed that, on the technology dimension, 16.67% of the subjects were in the medium category, 50% in the low category, and 33% in the very low category. On the cognitive dimension, 33.33% of the subjects were in the moderate category, 16.67% in the low category, and 50% in the very low category. On the ethical dimension, 50% of the subjects were in the high category, 16.67% in the low category, and 33.33% in the very low category. Thus, it has been concluded that the digital literacy level of classroom teachers is in the very low to high categories.

Swimming Lessons for Children With Autism: Parent and Teacher Experiences.

The occupation of swimming for children with autism is an unexplored field of research in the South African context. This study explores the experiences of swimming teachers and parents of children with autism in the context of swimming lessons. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were utilized with a qualitative, descriptive-phenomenological design. Data analysis utilized Colaizzis's seven-step method. Parents first sought swimming lessons for their children as a survival skill. Although facing barriers to accessing this service, parents experienced swimming as a meaningful occupation with unexpected benefits. Swimming teachers also derived meaning from providing lessons, despite a lack of knowledge. They expressed a need for greater support and training. Swimming is a meaningful occupation for children with autism and their families, but swimming teachers in South Africa are not always equipped to provide this service. Occupational therapists could play a variety of roles in supporting participation for all stakeholders.

Retinal development and the expression profiles of opsin genes during larval development in Takifugu rubripes.

The light-sensitive capacity of fish larvae is determined by the structure of the retina and the opsins expressed in the retinal and nonretinal photoreceptors. In this study, the retinal structure and expression of opsin genes during the early developmental stage of Takifugu rubripes larvae were investigated. Histological examination showed that at 1 days after hatching (dah), seven layers were observed in the retina of T. rubripes larva, including the pigment epithelial layer [retinal pigment epithelium layer (RPE)], photoreceptor layer (PRos/is), outer nuclear layer (ONL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), inner plexiform layer (IPL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL). At 2dah, optic fibre layer (OFL) can be observed, and all eight layers were visible in the retina. By measuring the thickness of each layer, opposing developmental trends were found in the thickness of ONL, OPL, INL, IPL, GCL and OFL. The nuclear density of ONL, INL and GCL and the ratios of ONL/INL, ONL/GCL and INL/GCL were also measured and the ratio of ONL/GCL ranged from 1.9 at 2dah to 3.4 at 8dah and no significant difference was observed between the different developmental stages (P > 0.05). No significant difference was observed for the INL/GCL ratio between the different developmental stages, which ranged from 1.2 at 2dah to 2.0 at 18 dah (P > 0.05). The results of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed that the expression of RH1, LWS, RH2-1, RH2-2, SWS2, rod opsin, opsin3 and opsin5 could be detected from 1dah. These results suggest that the well-developed retina and early expression of the opsins of T. rubripes during the period of transition from endogenous to mixed feeding might be critical for vision-based survival skills during the early life stages after hatching.

Reproductive Success Increases with Age in American Kestrels, Especially in Males

ABSTRACT Age-related differences in reproductive or breeding success, as measured by clutch size, hatching rate, nestling survival, and number of fledglings produced, have been well documented in many species of birds. The experience gained through successive breeding attempts can improve foraging abilities, survival skills, access to resources through social dominance, and familiarity with each stage of reproduction. We examined 696 breeding attempts by American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) from a population that bred in nest boxes in northwestern New Jersey from 1995 to 2021. We tested the hypothesis that older kestrels have greater breeding success than those in their first breeding season. Clutch size, nestling survival rate, and the number of fledglings varied significantly and positively with the age of one or both parents. These trends were significantly correlated with the date of clutch initiation; older birds initiated clutches earlier than those in their first breeding attempt. However, after we controlled for laying date, older birds still had larger clutch sizes, higher nestling survival rates, and greater numbers of fledglings. The relationship between age and breeding success was more pronounced for males than females. This difference is consistent with the behavioral roles of each sex during a breeding attempt. After laying a clutch, females perform most of the incubation and brood young nestlings. In contrast, males provide food for females prior to egg laying and throughout incubation, and to the entire family until the nestlings no longer are brooded by the female. Females paired with older males had significantly greater body mass index values (weight/wing chord) than those paired with second-year males. Pairs where both adults were older had significantly greater breeding success than mixed or young pairs, and we never observed an older female paired to a male during his first breeding attempt.

The Heroic Savior, the Jungle Guide and the Beacon Amidst a Fog of Uncertainty: Agency of Fathers in Prolonged Postdivorce Conflicts and Their Positioning of Children

ABSTRACT This qualitative study aims to explore how fathers in prolonged post-divorce conflict construct their parenting agency and position their child in relation to their view of conflict-related threats. Eight divorced fathers were interviewed, with experience of, on average, seven years of high conflict after separation. A reflective thematic design supplemented with positioning theory was used to analyze the fathers’ responses. Drawing on positioning theory, the fathers’ agency emerged in the analyses from three dominant storylines or world manifestations of post-divorce dangers. Fathers either acted as (1) heroic saviors in a polluted realm storyline where they positioned their children as victims that need to be saved from the dangers of impurity, (2) jungle guides in the wild nature storyline where they positioned their children as trainees of survival skills to deal with intrusive events and ever present post-divorce dangers, or (3) beacons in a foggy moor storyline where they re-positioned their own behavior to follow a self-clarifying routine so that their children would experience life in a less ambivalent, foggy and insecure manner. We argue that researchers and therapists would benefit from knowledge that captures the moral underpinnings of fathers’ agency.

Impact of Teaching Experience of Secondary School Teachers on the Teaching Strategies for Social Education and Ethics in Kenya

Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine whether the amount of experience and training of the instructors had an impact on their decision on the teaching strategies for S.E.E. &#x0D; Methodology: The plan includes the sampling techniques, data gathering, and analytic processes. Two tools—the Teachers' Questionnaire and the Observation Schedule—were used to gather the data for this study. &#x0D; Findings: The study's main conclusions demonstrated that the available teaching-learning resources were insufficient, which had a negative impact on the efficient instruction of S.E.E. in secondary schools. It was also discovered that teachers lacked the necessary and competent teaching tools to instill values in their charges. &#x0D; Conclusion: Since most teachers are not qualified to teach the subject and have not taken any in-service training, they are not familiar with the methods of teaching S.E.E. &#x0D; Recommendation: The study suggests that instructors should get training in effective ways to teach morally upright subjects including government, history, and survival skills. For effective social science education, teachers should make use of a number of materials. In order to completely accomplish the fourth purpose of education, which stipulates that "education should foster solid moral and religious values," S.E.E. as a topic has to be brought back into the curriculum.

The Desire of Mothering Towards Educational Success: How Does “Cultural Logic” Operate in Schooling Practices?

This paper primarily seeks to explore how mothering practices in different social classes reflect on the schooling experiences of students. We particularly focus on the desire for mothering towards educational success. We draw on Lareau’s (2003) theory on “concerted cultivation” and “natural growth” to understand the possibilities of mothering embodied in various schooling practices. The data for the study were generated via 26 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with mothers from the middle and lower-class. The findings demonstrate that the educational and socio-economic status of mothers significantly modifies their children’s schooling practices. However, the results reveal that mothers from lower-class backgrounds develop some principles of academic survival skills that they transmit to their children. Strategies to support their children’s schooling that mothers from lower-class backgrounds implemented emerge where they interact with schooling practices conducted by middle-class.

Diabetes Clinical Practice Leaders: Do They Have an Impact?

Persons living with diabetes are more likely to have longer hospital admissions and are at increased risk for readmission, compared to those without diabetes. Admission to hospital presents a unique opportunity to provide innovative diabetes management support. To promote high-quality diabetes care while shortening length of stay (LOS) and decreasing readmission rates, the impact of a diabetes clinical practice leader (CPL) role was assessed. This specialized role involves 1) providing diabetes survival skills education and facilitating timely follow-up with outpatient diabetes services; 2) upskilling frontline staff with diabetes-related content; 3) consultation to optimize diabetes treatment plans; and 4) organization-wide quality improvement initiatives.