This paper proposes an instructional design that integrates critical thinking and argumentation in general education by using Shakespeare’s Hamlet as a structured source of argumentative tasks. The core contribution is a practical translation of widely used intellectual standards (e.g., clarity, accuracy, relevance, depth, and breadth) into reusable assessment questions, coupled with scene-based assignments that require students to produce explicit argument components. For each selected scene, students articulate (1) a claim, (2) evidence, (3) a warrant as a rule-like bridge from evidence to conclusion, and (4) at least one objection or alternative interpretation. The design aims to move students beyond impressionistic readings toward visible, revisable inference structures. It also embeds common reasoning errors into diagnostic activities tied to the text’s context and provides a six-criteria rubric that rewards revision and resubmission rather than one-shot correctness. The paper is design-oriented (with a minimal evaluation plan), not an empirical effectiveness test; follow-up work is suggested to validate outcomes through pre-post comparisons of student argument products.
This paper presents a practice-based exploratory project focused on the codesign and evaluation of didactic materials for children with developmental disabilities participating in equine-assisted learning interventions. The project was conducted during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic years through a collaboration between the Art Education Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, the Don Kihot Association and partner organisations. Ten graduate students participated as part of their coursework in the subjects Pedagogy, and Methodology of Fine Arts. The primary aim of the project was to integrate theoretical instruction with artistic practice through project-based learning and gamification, while preparing future teachers to design inclusive didactic materials adapted to the needs of children with developmental disabilities. A secondary aim was to explore how such codesigned materials function in practice during equine-assisted learning sessions. The study adopted a qualitative, practice-oriented approach. Data were collected through student portfolios, teachers’ and collaborators’ reflective notes, and structured evaluation forms completed by practitioners during the application of the didactic materials with three child participants. The project resulted in ten original didactic toys and games. The findings indicate that student engagement and intrinsic motivation increased through real-world, socially relevant design tasks. Practitioner evaluations suggest that the usability and acceptance of didactic toys depend strongly on the child’s specific type of developmental difficulty as well as on task complexity, thus highlighting the importance of adaptability and individualisation. The study contributes to practice-based research in inclusive art education and equine-assisted learning by offering empirically grounded reflections on the design and use of didactic materials.
IntroductionChronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection continues to pose a significant global health burden, and current therapies rarely target the viral covalently closed circular DNA reservoir. Kaempferol (KP), a major flavonoid found in various herbs and plants, exhibits diverse bioactivities, but its potential anti-HBV activity remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the anti-HBV potential of KP and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms.MethodsThe HBV-infected Huh7DhNTCP cell, viral stable transfection cell HepG2.2.15, as well as a hydrodynamic injection-based chronic HBV infection mouse model, were established to evaluate the antiviral effects of KP. The levels of HBV RNAs, DNA and proteins were detected using ELISA, western blot, qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. To investigate the mechanisms, viral promoter activities were assessed via dual-luciferase reporter assays, and relevant transcription factors were validated through qPCR and western blot analysis.ResultsKP dose- and time-dependently reduced the levels of viral antigens, RNA, and DNA in vitro, and also significantly lowered viral markers and attenuated HBV-induced hepatic pro-inflammatory cytokines expression in vivo. Furthermore, KP acted in combination with the nucleoside analog entecavir to suppress HBV replication. Mechanistically, KP strongly inhibited the transcriptional activity of the HBV core promoter (Cp), and enhanced the phosphorylation of both extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and its downstream target forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1). Importantly, the ERK-specific inhibitor U0126 completely abolished the antiviral effects of KP, confirming that its antiviral activity depended on the ERK/FOXO1 pathway.DiscussionCollectively, our results indicate that KP activates ERK-dependent FOXO1 phosphorylation, leading to transcriptional repression of the HBV Cp and thereby suppression of viral replication. These findings identify KP as a potential candidate for developing novel therapeutics against chronic HBV infection.
Balkar Yildirim, Alan Albert Coley, Diego Fernando López
We investigate whether black holes can persist through the bounce with a minimal scale factor in a non-singular cosmology, whereby black holes from a previous contracting phase survive into the current expanding one. We do so by studying a generalized McVittie spacetime which embeds a spherically symmetric black hole in a positive spatial curvature bouncing FLRW cosmological background within the modified theory of teleparallel new general relativity. There are no further assumptions on the spacetime (e.g., on the form of the scale factor) initially, and the local evolution is derived from the field equations of the theory, utilizing a perturbative scheme which is valid ``near the bounce". To leading order we obtain a simple bounce solution similar to that in general relativity for a closed FLRW model with a positive cosmological constant, but in which the curvature term in the Friedmann equation is re-normalized within new general relativity. Qualitatively the minimum of the bounce at $t=0$ changes, but near the bounce the evolution remains symmetric. The central inhomogeneity evolves at higher perturbative orders, where the details depend on the arbitrary constants of the perturbative solution. Hence the evolution of the local horizon during the bounce changes qualitatively, where the effects depend on the signs of the perturbation, and the symmetry across the bounce is disrupted due to a linear term.
Mauricio Echiburu, Camilo Henriquez, Rodrigo Valdés
et al.
This study investigates the impact of educational comics as an active learning strategy in physics workshops for undergraduate students in Chemistry and Pharmacy and Biochemistry during the second semester of 2025. Conceptual understanding was assessed using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), and student motivation and attitudes toward physics were evaluated through a Likert-type survey administered in pre- and post-test formats. The results show an average normalized gain of g = 0.21 on the FCI, corresponding to a low-to-medium range according to physics education research. A higher gain is observed in items directly related to the intervened content (g = 0.23) compared to non-intervened items (g = 0.19), suggesting that instructional design influences domain-specific conceptual development. At the motivational level, improvements are observed in student interest, self-efficacy, and perceived usefulness of physics, along with a reduction in negative emotional responses toward the subject. These findings indicate that educational comics can serve as an effective pedagogical scaffold, promoting positive learning dispositions and supporting targeted conceptual development in non-physics undergraduate contexts.
The rapid development of artificial intelligence technology is driving the transformation of physics education from traditional models to intelligent and data-driven approaches. To explore the evolution and cutting-edge hotspots in this field, this study conducted a systematic bibliometric analysis of 138 core literature published between 2021 and 2025 using VOSViewer and CiteSpace, based on the Web of Science Core Collection database. Research shows that the number of related publications will increase exponentially from 2023, with the United States, China, and Germany being the main research forces. The research focus has rapidly evolved from early machine learning assisted data analysis to the application of generative AI in teaching, the integration of physics information neural networks in computational physics courses, and the exploration of intelligent medical physics education. At present, this field is in the early stages of explosive growth and exhibits significant interdisciplinary characteristics. Future research should focus on building an adaptive learning ecosystem, reconstructing evaluation systems, and cultivating students' AI ethics and physical intuition.
The purpose of this study was to examine the status of learning objectives described in university general education course syllabi and to analyze whether these learning objective statements are appropriate for the purpose of general education. To this end, the learning objectives described in the syllabus of 184 general education courses offered by University A in City G in the first semester of 2024 were analyzed to derive the status of learning objective statements and behavior verbs. The research results are as follows. First, the status of learning objective statements was as follows: 59.2% were ‘sentence type’, 20.1% were ‘bullet style type’, and 20.7% were ‘other statement type. Among the ‘other statement types’, ‘subject outline type’ was the most common at 57.9%, ‘instructor-centered type’ at 10.5%, and ‘mixed type’ stated in the subject outline and instructor language at 31.6%. Second, in the analysis of learning objective behavior verbs, the most frequent verb was ‘understand’, followed by ‘cultivate’, ‘express’, ‘acquire’, ‘explore’, ‘analyze’, ‘understand’, ‘explain’, ‘solve’, ‘apply’, and ‘build’. Also, the general education learning objectives were found to contain many behavior verbs such as ‘appreciate’, ‘empathize’, ‘cultivate’, ‘reflect’, and ‘lead’ which emphasize affective domains. Third, Bloom's analysis of learning objectives also showed that general education reflects the cultivation of affective domain of learning, such as personality, citizenship, and cultural sensitivity in addition to cognitive domains as its educational goals. These results could confirm the current status of university professors' awareness and implementation of the learning objectives stated in the general education course syllabus, and can provide implications for the design and implementation of quality management competency programs.