Wilkes University

Abstract National policies significantly shape resource allocation and priorities in EdTech development. This paper presents insights from six countries through a systems thinking perspective. Drawing on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors explore how national policies evolved in response to global EdTech trends. Each country offers unique approaches as case studies. China emphasizes digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence in teacher education. Germany focuses on enhancing student media literacy through school initiatives. Japan accelerates digitalization through cross-ministerial efforts to address educational disparities. Italy emphasizes the updating of school curricula, tertiary offerings, and digital innovation projects. Norway underscores teacher autonomy and innovative methods for digital literacy, while the United States focuses on academic recovery and addressing the challenges posed by new forms of digital divide. The case studies offer insights into global EdTech trends while cautioning against viewing the field as monolithic. The authors synthesize key strategies in national priorities and practices and provide recommendations for an ethical and effective approach to EdTech development.

The performance of classifiers can decline due to irrelevant or non-informative features. Therefore, extracting meaningful high-level features from raw data through effective feature selection and construction is vital. This challenge is particularly significant in bioinformatics, especially for predicting protein-peptide interactions. To address this, we propose IntPPPred, a computational method designed to enhance residue-level prediction of such interactions. IntPPPred leverages evolutionary computation and ensemble learning to build high-level features from selected informative ones, reducing computational complexity and feature space. It first identifies unique and effective features before applying multiple feature constructions using a gravitational search algorithm. This enhances the prediction capability of a stacking-based ensemble classifier, particularly on imbalanced datasets. Experimental results show that IntPPPred improves Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC), F-measure, and precision by at least 1.2%, 19.6%, and 3.9%, respectively, over existing methods. When evaluated on a second dataset, further gains of 5.2%, 24%, 16.7%, and 1.1% were observed in precision, sensitivity, F-measure, and MCC. Additionally, performance consistency between cross-validation and independent test sets confirms the method's robustness. Overall, IntPPPred serves as an effective computational tool that supports experimental research and enhances machine learning performance in protein-peptide interaction prediction.

Phygitality creates environments filled with paradoxical situations and tensions. Using Paradox Theory as the macro-foundational lens, this conceptual article integrates Attachment Theory and Behavioral Control Theory as the supporting macro-foundations to explain how parental strategies (parental responsiveness, behavioral control, and psychological control) shape children's phygital self (intrapersonal self and interpersonal self), and, in turn, influence two forms of children's phygital risk behaviors: self-identity-related and social-related risks. The framework incorporates five contextual factors: two internal contextual factors at the individual level and family level, and three external contextual factors (educators, marketers, and public sectors). It further embeds the parent-child relationship within a broader macromarketing system, theorizing how these external stakeholders co-shape children's phygital environments and collectively impact societal well-being. Finally, we outline policy- and practice-oriented pathways for reducing phygital risks at scale, positioning parental strategy not as a private matter but as a lever for human-centric, responsible phygital governance.

In nations experiencing internal conflict, elite athletes’ global triumphs often become potent symbols within contested social and political landscapes. This study investigates how public reactions to Ethiopian athletes of Tigrayan origin at the 2022 World Athletics Championships were shaped by the Tigray War (2020–2022), their dual allegiances, and the negotiation of identity on digital platforms. Employing qualitative discourse analysis of social media content (Facebook, X, YouTube), the research found that athletic victories were framed through competing narratives along sub-national, national, and beyond-national dimensions. Consequently, these victories and the athletes themselves were competitively appropriated for contemporary agendas and existing socio-political intentions, transforming online spaces into symbolic battlefields marked by distinct discursive strategies and identity markers. The study concludes that during intense internal conflict, international athletic success, rather than uniformly fostering national unity, becomes a deeply politicized and contested terrain reflecting societal divisions. Athletes from conflict-affected regions often become contested symbols, and digital fandom serves as a crucial, polarizing arena for political expression. This paper contributes to understanding the dynamics of sport, identity, and conflict in the digital age, particularly the phenomenon of ‘fractured celebrants’.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) play a key role in regulating plant height and leaf angle in plants. However, the mechanism underlying the BR signaling pathway involved in branch angle regulation is poorly understood. Here, we isolated a rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) mutant named dwarf and compact architecture 1 (dca1), which is controlled by a single semi-dominant locus. Map-based cloning revealed that this gain-of-function gene encodes a GSK3/SHAGGY-like kinase (BnaGSK3/DCA1). We demonstrated that BnaIDD16.A09 is a substrate phosphorylated by BnaGSK3/DCA1 and negatively controls branch angles by activating auxin biosynthesis in response to gravitropism. Further, we identified two elite haplotypes from natural germplasm with large variations in the BnaGSK3/DCA1 promoter that exhibited smaller branch angles and slightly shorter height, which have significant potential for improvement of rapeseed plant architecture. Our findings reveal a regulatory mechanism that the BnaGSK3-BnaIDD16 module integrates BR signaling to modulate auxin biosynthesis, thereby controlling branch bending in B. napus.