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Practical wisdom is the intellectual virtue relating to the ability to fix ends and discern in a concrete circumstance how to achieve those ends. It is cultivated through engagement with experience rather than book learning. However, a whole matrix of convergent technologies, such as headsets, haptic suits, AI-driven chatbots, and extended realities, such as augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), creates new conditions for training practical wisdom. How can moral educators facilitate practical wisdom in this extended reality (XR)? Drawing on Nussbaum’s account of phronesis, we contend the job of moral education in XR is mostly about ensuring students’ critical engagement. We suggest AI assistants can contribute to this task, so long as these technologies and the people using them manifest Socratic humility ensuring that no single interaction serves as an ‘oracle of truth’, leaving critical thinking and judgment firmly in the hands of the student.

Sexual minority women (SMW) are a resilient yet vulnerable population who may experience poor psychosocial outcomes due to minority stress associated with their marginalized status and traumatic experiences resulting from interpersonal and structural violence. When SMW are incarcerated, the trauma of this experience can exacerbate existing mental health challenges. Self-concept is a key measure of mental health that is associated with increased self-efficacy and positive psychosocial outcomes. This analysis explores the ways in which incarceration impacts the self-concept of SMW. Secondary data analysis of three qualitative interviews with formerly incarcerated SMW was conducted. Specifically, Gilligan’s Listening Guide was used to create “I poems” that articulate the participants’ narratives and contrapuntal voices. These poems were then analyzed to build knowledge about participants’ self-concept. This analysis informs our understandings of self-concept among SMW, violence against women, the vulnerability of binary constructs, and the ways in which people negotiate past, present and future selves. The findings can inform interventions that seek to mitigate the psychosocial risks faced by SMW and formerly incarcerated people and improve outcomes for these populations.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore how students of different generations perceived presence and caring behaviors by faculty in online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs. Results showed that millennials reported statistically significant higher perceptions of social presence when compared with nonmillennials. Although generation was not a predictor of caring, all presence subscales were positively and significantly correlated with the total caring score. Teaching presence was a significant predictor of students' perceptions of caring in online courses.

Abstract Metaheuristic methods have demonstrated their utility in tackling global optimization problems with and without constraints. However, existing state-of-the-art (SOTA) algorithms often suffer from limitations such as premature convergence, inefficient exploration-exploitation balance, and poor adaptability to complex discrete optimization problems like Team Formation (TF). The Golden Eagle Optimizer (GEO) algorithm is a promising metaheuristic that addresses some of these challenges by effectively managing its hunting spiral motion using two control parameters: cruise (exploration) and attack (exploitation). Despite its strengths, the standard GEO algorithm requires modifications to handle the discrete and multi-objective nature of the TF problem effectively. This paper proposes an amended version of GEO, called AGEO, which integrates specialized operators to enhance its performance in TF scenarios. A skillful TF aims to form teams of experts with complementary skills in social networks (SN) while optimizing multiple objectives, including minimizing communication costs, maximizing the similarity score between team members, and achieving minimal team cardinality. AGEO preserves GEO’s powerful exploitation and exploration mechanisms while introducing tailored operator strategies to overcome the challenges inherent in TF. The AGEO undergoes testing on several well-established benchmark datasets, including Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Internet Movie Database (IMDB), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and Database Systems & Logic Programming (DBLP). Additionally, a comparative study against SOTA metaheuristic algorithms such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (BOA), Crow Search Algorithm (CSA), and Jaya Algorithm demonstrates AGEO’s superior performance in forming highly optimized teams with the least communication cost, lowest team cardinality, and highest similarity score.

Background: Numerous barriers to moderate to vigorous physical activity exist for youths with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The virtual exercise games for youth with T1D (ExerT1D) intervention implement synchronous support of moderate to vigorous physical activity including T1D peers and role models. Objective: This study aims to understand the acceptability of this intervention to participants. Methods: We conducted postprogram, semistructured, televideo interviews with participating youths to elicit perspectives on the acceptability of the intervention and experience with the program. Two coders independently reviewed and analyzed each transcript using a coding scheme developed inductively by senior researchers. Discrepancies were resolved by team discussion, and multiple codes were grouped together to produce 4 main thematic areas. Results: All 15 participants provided interviews (aged 14-19 years; 2 nonbinary, 6 females; median hemoglobin A1c level of 7.8% (IQR 7.4%-11.2%), 5 with a hemoglobin A1c level of ≥10%). Qualitative data revealed four themes: (1) motivation to engage in physical activity (PA)—improving their physical capabilities and stabilizing glucose levels were cited as motivation for PA and challenges of living with T1D were cited as PA barriers; (2) experience with and motivation to manage diabetes while engaging in PA—participants provided details of accommodating the inherent uncertainty or limitations of PA with diabetes and sometimes preparing for PA involved psychological and motivational adjustments while some relayed feelings of avoidance; (3) peer support encouraged engagement with the intervention—participants appreciated the peer aspects of components of ExerT1D and participants’ reflections of the facilitated group experience highlight many benefits of a small-group virtual program; and (4) improvements in PA and diabetes self-management efficacy—all participants credited the program with improving or at least raising awareness of T1D management skills. Conclusions: Our virtual PA intervention using an active video game and discussion component provided adolescents with T1D the confidence and peer support to engage in PA, improved awareness of diabetes-specific tasks to prepare for exercise, and improved understanding of the effect of PA on glucose levels. Engaging youths with a virtual video game intervention is a viable approach to overcome barriers to PA for adolescents with T1D. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05163912; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05163912

Intensity interferometry, also known as the Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect, has seen significant interest in astronomy in recent years. The method involves recording timing correlations between photons received at two or more telescopes in order to derive extremely high spatial resolution information about an astronomical object, potentially including imaging stellar surfaces and other objects at unprecedented scales. This paper will briefly review the technique, discuss the performance characteristics of the of photon counters used in modern intensity interferometers, and describe opportunities for the future. As an example of photon counting with a working instrument, observing experiences with the Southern Connecticut Stellar Interferometer (SCSI), a three-station instrument using single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) detectors, will be described. The recent lessons learned with this and other instruments in use today give a clear picture of the next steps needed to upgrade efficiency and successfully observe fainter objects. If successful, these improvements would provide a strong argument for creating situations where intensity interferometers can have baselines of one to several kilometers, which would unlock the spatial detail needed to address several exciting astrophysical questions.

Seeking Transcendence examines the various paths taken by those who have detached themselves from their traditional, institutional religious roots but are seeking non-traditional paths to spiritual experiences. Called the “nones” or "non-affiliated" in popular mass media, these include a significant number of Western folks who maintain a belief in God or at least consider themselves “spiritual but not religious”. Each chapter of the book explores these trends with a specific theme, as well as a case study based on the author’s ethnographic observation of alternative spiritual communities and practices in North America and Western Europe. Ultimately, this book shows how contemporary alternatives to traditional institutional religion appeal to nones, presenting the relevance of new religious movements and more secular spiritual paths to transcendence.

• For requested gifts during rite-of-passage occasions, appreciation for charitable vs. recipient-benefiting gifts depends on gift amount. • For low gift amounts, recipients appreciate charitable gifts more than recipient-benefiting gifts. • For moderate to high gift amounts, appreciation is similar between charitable and recipient-benefiting gifts. • In distant (vs. close) giver-recipient relationships, the effect of gift type on appreciation for low amounts is attenuated. • When gifts are not requested, recipients appreciate charitable gifts less than recipient-benefiting gifts. Requests for charitable cash gifts during rite-of-passage occasions (e.g., weddings) are becoming increasingly common. This research examines whether recipients’ appreciation differs depending on whether a requested cash gift is charitable (e.g., donating to support people in need) or recipient-benefiting (e.g., renovating the recipient’s kitchen). Across five studies, we find that the effect of the gift type on appreciation is moderated by the gift amount. For low amounts, recipients appreciate charitable gifts more than recipient-benefiting gifts. However, for moderate and high amounts, appreciation is similar across gift types. This effect is mediated by the recipients’ perception of whether the gift amount meets their expectations and their subsequent perception of thoughtfulness. Consistent with our mechanism, in distant giver-recipient relationships, the effect of the gift type on appreciation for low amounts is attenuated. When gifts are not requested, recipients appreciate charitable gifts less than recipient-benefiting gifts.

Sexual minority (SM) adults are at increased risk for adverse health outcomes and face unique barriers to engagement and retention in healthcare, including stigma and discrimination. Given known barriers to care, SM adults may prefer online platforms due to limited access to in-person clinical care and fear of discrimination. To date, there is limited knowledge of these behaviors among subgroups of SM adults. This study was a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of the United States National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Adult Sample Data Set, 2018. Utilizing descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regressions, we found that bisexual females had significantly greater odds (AOR = 1.58, CI: 1.04-2.39) of seeking health information online compared to straight females. Similarly, when compared to their straight male counterparts, gay males had significantly higher odds of seeking health information online in the past 12 months (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI: 2.00-4.37). These findings indicate the need for targeting messaging and interventions to address the health concerns of these populations. It also suggests that virtual platforms are viable and perhaps preferred for these subgroups of SM adults. Through continued efforts and research, the field can target relevant health information to populations who need it most by leveraging where they seek it.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency returns show higher volatility than equity, bond, and other asset classes. Increasingly, researchers rely on machine learning techniques to forecast returns, where different machine learning algorithms reduce the forecasting errors in a high-volatility regime. We show that conventional time series modeling using ARMA and ARMA GARCH run on a rolling basis produces better or comparable forecasting errors than those that machine learning techniques produce. The key to achieving a good forecast is to fit the correct AR and MA orders for each window. When we optimize the correct AR and MA orders for each window using ARMA, we achieve an MAE of 0.024 and an RMSE of 0.037. The RMSE is approximately 11.27% better, and the MAE is 10.7% better compared to those in the literature and is similar to or better than those of the machine learning techniques. The ARMA-GARCH model also has an MAE and an RMSE which are similar to those of ARMA.

The Guandacol Formation corresponds to glacial episode 4 of the "Late Paleozoic Ice Age" in western Gondwana. It represents the final glaciation of westernmost Gondwana and the beginning of deglaciation that swept across the supercontinent throughout the rest of the Paleozoic. A succession of transitional sedimentary facies associations characterizes the eastern outcrops of the Guandacol Formation. These facies associations are interlayered with several deposits of mass-transport complexes (MTC) and present the occasional opportunity to conduct a deep-time analysis of the effect of tectonism in what is interpreted to be glacially-influenced deposits. Six sedimentary facies associations were recognized in the lower part of the Guandacol Formation. Facies association 1 (interbedded diamictites, sandstones, and mudstones) overlies MTC 1 and is interpreted as sedimentation into a marine glacially-influenced outwash fan. Facies association 2 (ponded interbedded sandstones, mudstones, and diamictites) was deposited as subaqueous underflows/turbidites and debris flows covering the irregular paleotopography of MTC 2. Facies association 3 (white medium- to coarse-grained sandstones and conglomerates) represents a small deltaic system. Facies association 4 (rhythmites with dropstones and sandstones) was deposited in a partially ponded water body resulting from the collapse and paleotopography of MTC 3. Facies association 5 (coarsening-upward cycles of mudstones and sandstones) was deposited in prodelta to delta front environments. Finally, facies association 6 (conglomerates, sandstones, and mudstones) corresponds to the subaerial deltaic platform. The evolution of depositional environments suggests three glacially-linked stages: Stage 1 — Initial retreat of the nearby ice masses (facies association 1); Stage 2 — Further retreat of glaciers and the progressive decoupling between ice masses and sea (facies associations 2 and 3); and Stage 3 — Postglacial sedimentation dominated by deltaic progradation during highstand conditions (facies associations 4 to 6). The importance of the paleogeographic context is emphasized in which the tectonism triggered recurrent events of MTC that continually modified the topography and sedimentary patterns, interrupting and complicating the stratigraphy of the interpreted glacial and postglacial sedimentation.

Three experiments investigated the effects of positive mood on perceptions of variability within and between groups. Participants formed impressions of two different and highly variable groups under a neutral or positive mood. When participants expected to learn about both groups, positive mood increased perceived intergroup similarity but did not affect perceived intragroup variability. In contrast, when participants expected to learn about only one group, judgments of intergroup and intragroup similarity were both affected by mood. Mood and the intergroup context influenced the nature and degree of information processing and resultant judgments of variability in social groups.

Research has consistently shown that most women under the control of the criminal justice system are mothers. The robustness of this finding has been accompanied by a failure to consider the characteristics and needs of women without children. In this study, we examine data on 1,334 formerly incarcerated women. Findings indicate that while mothers and non-mothers share some characteristics, they differ on several others, most notably demographic profile, mental health, and timing of contacts with the criminal justice system. These results suggest a need to recognize the diversity among women offender groups, particularly when developing policies and programs need.

The majority of people in America’s prisons are the parents of minor children. Incarcerated mothers, in particular, were likely to have been a part of their children’s lives before their imprisonment, and most will soon be returning to the community and to their children. Research has shown that it is in the best interests of the mothers and the children to maintain a relationship across the prison bars. In this article, we use the example of New York State to show how institutional policies and structures can impede or encourage efforts to maintain ties between women and their children and why demonstrating support for family ties must extend well beyond having visiting hours.