The Development and Implementation of Online Video-based Simulation Training on Strengthening Pre-service Teachers' Competence in Bullying Intervention

COVID-19 has severely impacted the world since December 2019, and because of its highly infectious nature, many countries around the world have taken lockdown measures to prevent the virus from spreading unchecked, resulting in ramifications for higher education as many institutions have been forced to implement distance education. The question of how to develop a teaching method suitable for teacher education programs that place particular importance on practice in classroom settings warrants particular concern. Online video-based simulation training (OVST) as a teacher training method holds promise for addressing this issue by allowing learners to increase their opportunities to apply theory-based knowledge in real educational practice, reducing the theory-practice gap. OVST can also be distributed through online learning environments that offer easily repeated large-scale usage at lower cost to a variety of introvert/extravert learners through individual learning trajectories. In this vein, this study aims to introduce a method for developing OVST used to enhance pre-service teacher competence (by immediately intervening during school bullying, or CIISB) and clarifying the efficacy of types of OVST (with and without debriefing) on strengthening pre-service teachers' CIISB skills. A total of 98 pre-service teachers from four Taiwanese universities and colleges participated in this study that adopted a quasi-experimental design approach. Each of these pre-service teachers was assigned to one of three groups: OVST with debriefing, OVST without debriefing, and an OVST control condition, with a video-based instrument used to map pre-service teachers' CIISB-related perception, interpretation, and decision-making skills (PID skills). The results of a mixed-model two-way ANOVA analysis indicated that both types of OVST were more effective than the control condition in improving pre-service teachers' CIISB. OVST with debriefing was also more effective than the OVST without debriefing, suggesting that OVST with debriefing is a promising way to develop pre-service teachers' clinical competencies, while also offering a valuable resource for teacher education training methods, particularly when conducted under pandemic conditions.

Research on Development of Sponsorship Effect Analysis Module Using Text Mining Technique

To expand the sponsorship market, sponsorship activities based on sponsorship effect analysis data through scientific and systematic analysis must be carried out. As the development of the media industry and the COVID-19 pandemic have caused many changes in the method of broadcasting professional sports, it is necessary to upgrade the analysis of sponsorship effects. In a crisis situation where the sponsorship effect analysis market is shrinking due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the development of brand exposure analysis programs that can be used based on online platforms will expand the sponsorship market and promote changes in the domestic analysis market that relies on overseas analysis programs. In this study, more than 200,000 online sports media data were collected to analyze the sponsorship effect by minimizing the omission of sponsor brands exposed through online media and detecting sophisticated data. A commercial dictionary in the sports field was established and a sponsorship effect analysis module was developed by quantifying text data using morpheme analysis and TF-IDF. A module based on UI was implemented to analyze the results of the custom morpheme analyzer and Elasticsearch Term Vectors AP. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

THE EXPANDING ROLE OF METAVERSE PLATFORM IN COLLEGE EDUCATION

With the widespread of COVID-19 pandemic globally, education environment has been changed from face-to-face to online education with physical distance. The classroom could be moved anywhere from the brick building to ubiquitous place and mobile tools with virtual and augmented reality. The metaverse allows students to fashion a world where they can interact as avatars or digital characters while participating in a host of activities. This paper tries to find the feasibility of applying the metaverse platform in college education in the pandemic environment. A thorough review has been attempted for the state of the art of educational metaverse. Based on the research framework of metaverse platform, two types of implementation have been attempted. The first one is hardware-based extended reality studio for media and broadcasting. The second one is software-based virtual and augmented reality. Using Zepeto, a metaverse classroom is created, and actual activities for teaching and learning have been tried among classroom avatars. By using the metaverse platform in the online education, student’s satisfaction has been increased through active interaction and communication via avatars. © 2022, ICIC International. All rights reserved.

Conservation and cultural intersections within Hong Kong's snake soup industry

Snake soup continues to be an iconic tradition in Cantonese culture. Yet little is known about the relationship between snake soup consumption in Hong Kong, wild snake populations, and the communities depending on this tradition for their livelihoods. We applied an interdisciplinary approach including interviews with shopkeepers and genetic analyses of snake meat samples to determine the species consumed in Hong Kong, their source locations, and shopkeepers' views on the future of the industry. We genetically identified the common rat snake Ptyas mucosa, widely distributed throughout East and Southeast Asia, and the Javan spitting cobra Naja sputatrix, endemic to Indonesia, as the species most commonly consumed, which was consistent with interview responses. According to interviews, snakes had mostly been imported from mainland China in the past, but now tend to be sourced from Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia. Interviews also revealed a pessimistic outlook on the continuation of this tradition because of various factors, including a lasting yet misinformed association of snakes with the 2002-2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and China's ensuing ban on the consumption of terrestrial wildlife, Hong Kong's snake soup industry will probably continue to rely on Southeast Asian sources to persist. Given the cultural and conservation issues surrounding this tradition, further research on the economic, ecological and social consequences of snake consumption is needed to examine the broader implications of snake soup and similar industries in the region.

Evoker: Narrative-based Facial Expression Game for Emotional Development of Adolescents

Evoker is a narrative-based facial expression game. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents should be wearing masks in their daily lives. However, wearing masks disturbs emotional interaction through facial expressions, which is a critical component in emotional development. Therefore, a negative impact on adolescent emotional development is predicted. To solve this problem, we design a narrative-based game Evoker that uses real-time facial expression recognition. In this game, players are asked to identify an emotion from narrative contexts in missions, and make a facial expression appropriate for the context to clear the challenges. Our game provides an opportunity to practice reading emotional contexts and expressing appropriate emotions, which has a high potential for promoting emotional development of adolescents. © 2022 Owner/Author.

Graphene Oxide Functionalized Biosensor for Detection of Stress-Related Biomarkers.

A graphene oxide (GO)-based cortisol biosensor was developed to accurately detect cortisol concentrations from sweat samples at point-of-care (POC) sites. A reference electrode, counter electrode, and working electrode make up the biosensor, and the working electrode was functionalized using multiple layers consisting of GO and antibodies, including Protein A, IgG, and anti-Cab. Sweat samples contact the anti-Cab antibodies to transport electrons to the electrode, resulting in an electrochemical current response. The sensor was tested at each additional functionalization layer and at cortisol concentrations between 0.1 and 150 ng/mL to determine how the current response differed. A potentiostat galvanostat device was used to measure and quantify the electrochemical response in the GO-based biosensor. In both tests, the electrochemical responses were reduced in magnitude with the addition of antibody layers and with increased cortisol concentrations. The proposed cortisol biosensor has increased accuracy with each additional functionalization layer, and the proposed device has the capability to accurately measure cortisol concentrations for diagnostic purposes.

COVID-19 in Pregnancy: A Current Review of Global Cases.

IMPORTANCE: There is great concern about the impact of COVID-19 in pregnancy due to the high morbidity and mortality associated with prior coronavirus infections. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to summarize the current literature on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their newborns. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: The search terms COVID-19 and pregnancy were used in Medline and Clinical Key databases. Only articles written in English with outcome data on both mothers and their newborns were incorporated. RESULTS: Pregnant women generally experience COVID-19 as a mild-moderate illness. However, approximately 5% become critically ill. Women with underlying comorbidities seem more likely to experience severe morbidity. Newborns also generally have a favorable course. Vertical transmission in the intrauterine period is possible but rare. Infection control measures need to be taken to prevent transmission during the peripartum period. There is a paucity of data on infections in the first and second trimesters, but research from those infected in the third trimester indicates a possible link with preterm birth. There is a significant percentage of asymptomatic cases. Racial disparities are also being noted with disproportionate numbers of racial/ethnic minorities being affected. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 is generally experienced by pregnant women and their newborns as a mild to moderate illness, although a minority become critically ill and mortality does occur. This is more likely among those with underlying comorbidities, as in the general population. Asymptomatic cases heighten the need for increased testing and infection control measures. Racial disparities highlight underlying vulnerabilities and the need for increased research and policy changes.

E-book or print book: parents' current view in Hong Kong

Purpose This study aims to examine the perception and preference of parents for their children using mobile devices to read. The pros and cons of electronic books and print books are examined from the parents' perspective. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 parents in Hong Kong, who have children in primary and secondary schools. Their opinions were summarized into common themes to explore their choice of books for children in terms of format and content. Findings The findings indicated that most parents and schools still prefer print books unless required by schools. However, the e-book has played an essential role under the current COVID-19 pandemic and digital literacy development. Originality/value Scant studies focus on parents' views on their choice of book formats for children, especially for East Asian metropolises. The findings are useful for schools, teachers and publishers to explore publication and collection, as well as market development in digital reading resources.