Abstract In the decades after World War II, Black teenage girls cultivated a musical pleasure culture grounded in the tropes of heteronormative romance. Although most scholarship on the “girl group sound” focuses on the impact of the most famous groups on their (white) girl listeners, I center Black girl singers themselves to ask: what did girl group songs mean for the Black girls who created them? I assess documentary evidence from local newspapers, yearbooks, popular magazines, and sound recordings of girls’ original songs alongside interviews with former girl group members to argue that Black girls’ often-dismissed interest in romance in fact constitutes an important stronghold of homosociality and joy. Furthermore, I suggest that Black girl groups’ highly feminine music, entanglement with white-owned production machines, and white, suburban girl audience tend to obscure them in conventional histories of Black American music. By expanding my analysis beyond the most famous groups, focusing on original songs, and resituating them as part of a larger culture created by and for Black girls, I show that girls’ love songs remain crucial records of Black life even when they are not aesthetically innovative or legibly “political.” When one considers Black girls’ songs without only positioning them in relation to a white ear, a record of Black girls’ joy becomes audible.
This chapter examines North Korean elementary school textbooks as ideological instruments that cultivate emotional loyalty and political obedience to the Supreme Leader. Through critical discourse analysis and narrative inquiry, it analyses eight Korean language textbooks from the Kim Jong Un era, revealing how authoritarian values are embedded from early childhood. At the core of the curriculum is the deification of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong Un, portrayed as paternal figures whose sacrifices secure national strength and personal well-being. Emotionally charged first-person narratives encourage students to see obedience as a moral duty and diligent study as repayment for the leader’s benevolence, fostering intergenerational loyalty. As one example, the glorification of Hyang-rim’s self-sacrifice to protect the leaders’ portraits shows how devotion and selflessness are normalised. Such narratives align personal identity with state interests, presenting military service as both honourable and expected. In another example, Geum-sun’s claim that Kim Il-sung was “both a dear father and the foundation of her spirit” illustrates Bulgeungi-sasang (Red flag) ideology, which equates the leader’s authority with parental love and life itself. This ritualised emotional attachment helps secure the regime’s political legitimacy. Education is framed not as a right but a privilege granted by the leader. Historical trauma under Japanese colonialism is contrasted with current prosperity to legitimise the regime. Anti-American sentiment is reinforced through depictions of Americans and Christian missionaries as hostile invaders. Ultimately, the textbooks construct political subjectivity by fusing civic identity with personal devotion to the leader, reinforcing nationalism, legitimising authority, and portraying loyalty as both virtuous and essential.
Background: Oxidative stress plays a central role in the pathophysiology of sickle cell anaemia (SCA), contributing to haemolysis, endothelial dysfunction, and disease complications.Hydroxyurea (HU), the main disease-modifying therapy for SCA, may influence oxidative balance; however, evidence in children from resource-limited settings remains limited.Objective: To evaluate oxidative stress and antioxidant status among children with sickle cell anaemia, comparing hydroxyurea users and non-users, and to examine variations according to clinical disease severity and socioeconomic status.Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study included 110 children with SCA aged 2-17 years attending Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa (WGH).Participants were stratified into HU users (n = 55) and non-HU users (n = 55).Oxidative stress markers, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and antioxidant vitamins were measured using Waters' high performance liquid chromatography methods.Disease severity was assessed using the Kuti and Adegoke severity scale, while socioeconomic status was classified using the Olusanya socioeconomic classification.Data was analyzed using appropriate parametric tests, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.Results: Hydroxyurea users had significantly lower white blood cell counts compared with non-users (p = 0.018).Although mean malondialdehyde level was lower in HU users, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.181).No significant differences were observed in other oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzymes, antioxidant vitamins, or total antioxidant capacity between HU users and non-users.Oxidative and antioxidant parameters did not differ significantly across disease severity categories or socioeconomic classes.Conclusion: Children with sickle cell anaemia exhibit a persistent oxidative burden irrespective of hydroxyurea use, disease severity, or socioeconomic status.While hydroxyurea demonstrates favourable haematological effects, its impact on oxidative stress appears limited.Adjunctive strategies targeting oxidative stress may be necessary to improve clinical outcomes in paediatric SCA.
The growing integration of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) into education has intensified the need to understand teachers’ perceptions of its implementation in the early stages of schooling. This study aimed to examine the barriers, ethical concerns, and perceived impact of GAI among Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers in Spain. An interpretive qualitative design was adopted using an open-ended questionnaire completed by 183 teachers from 15 Spanish autonomous communities. Data were analyzed through thematic content analysis in NVivo 14, resulting in a coding framework comprising three metacategories, 27 categories, and 98 subcategories. The findings indicate that insufficient training and limited digital competence constitute the main barriers to GAI integration, while ethical concerns focus primarily on the potential decline in students’ critical thinking, irresponsible use, data privacy, and the reliability of AI-generated information. Although teachers recognize the potential of GAI to support learning, they express greater concern about its possible negative effects on creativity, effort, and autonomous knowledge construction. Moreover, they consistently emphasize that its educational impact depends on teacher training, pedagogical mediation, and the context in which it is implemented. These findings highlight that the successful integration of GAI in Early Childhood and Primary Education requires strengthening teachers’ AI literacy and promoting pedagogically grounded and ethically responsible implementation strategies.
Juan Luis Cabanillas-García, Desirée Ayuso del Puerto, María Cruz Sánchez Gómez
Introduction: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Early Childhood Education (ECE) represents a transformative paradigm shift globally, yet Nigeria's ECE sector remains critically underexplored in this domain. Problem: Despite AI's demonstrated potential to enhance foundational literacy, numeracy, and personalized learning, Nigerian ECE faces systemic barriers including inadequate infrastructure, low teacher preparedness, ethical concerns, and the absence of comprehensive policy frameworks. Significance: This inquiry critically examines the pedagogical opportunities, systemic challenges, and policy imperatives for AI integration in Nigerian ECE, addressing a significant gap in empirical and theoretical literature. Method: Adopting a critical analytical methodology grounded in constructivist theory, critical rationalism, and African humanism, this study synthesizes peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and empirical studies published between 2015 and 2026, drawing extensively from verified Nigerian-focused research.
Onyung Sandra Effiong, Orji Cyrus Ebere, Agu Mercy Oluchi et al.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an integral part of young children’s lives. However, research on online learning in early childhood education (ECE) prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was limited. The pandemic created a context for young children to engage in online learning, offering new opportunities to explore how ICT can support play-based learning (PL), particularly in China, during prolonged lockdowns. PL is recognised as a developmentally appropriate and effective pedagogical approach, but little research has examined its integration with ICT in online contexts for children in ECE. This thesis, deploying the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model as an analytical lens, begins with a scoping review of 47 empirical studies revealing that ICT integration in play-based pedagogies focused on teacher-initiated guided play, child-initiated free play, and balanced approaches with different learning content foci. Building on this, the first qualitative multi-case study explored the experiences of ten teachers from five international schools in China during COVID-19, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in facilitating PL online for children aged 2-6 years. Teachers shifted their use of ICT from a supplementary resource to a primary tool, fostering digital literacy, interactive and exploratory learning, collaboration, and critical thinking. Contextual knowledge was critical for adapting ICT integration to evolving circumstances. The second qualitative study examined three parents’ experiences as unexpected co-educators supporting children aged 3-9 years. Findings indicate that parents’ evolving TPACK influenced children’s engagement, digital literacy, and PL outcomes.
En el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior está muy asumido el uso de las TIC como base de las buenas prácticas en la Univers idad. Cuando volvemos la mirada para vislumbrar lo que sucede en Latinoamérica podemos observar situaciones de lo situaciones de lo másmás diversa.diversa. En concreto en la universidad ecuatoriana vemos cómo el marco mo el marco legislativolegislativo de de la educación superior, la educación superior, reformadoreformado recientemente, recientemente, asumasume e el uso de las el uso de las TIC,TIC, pero pero no como bno como buenas uenas prácticasprácticas. Este hecho que. Este hecho queda da másmás destacadodestacado cuando las cuando las buenas buenas prácticasprácticas y las Ty las TIIC como parte de ellasC como parte de ellas no no son tenidas en cuentason tenidas en cuenta en los en los planes de estudio de planes de estudio de mmaestro de infantil.aestro de infantil. En el presente trabajo se realizan unas rse realizan unas recomendaciones para ecomendaciones para afrontarafrontar esta esta desconexión entre desconexión entre los planes de estudios y los protocolos educativos de éxito.los planes de estudios y los protocolos educativos de éxito. In the European Higher Education Area, the use of ICTs as a basis for good practices in universities is widely accepted. When we look back at what is happening in Latin America, we can see the most diverse situations. Specifically, in the Ecuadorian university, we see how the recently reformed legislative framework for higher education assumes the use of ICTs, but not as good practices. This fact becomes more prominent when good practices and ICTs as part of them are not taken into account in the curricula of early childhood teachers. In this paper, some recommendations are made to address this disconnection between successful educational curricula and protocols.
Santiago Alonso-García, Juan Jesús Gutiérrez Castillo, Verónica Juárez Ramos et al.
Survivors of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer experience an elevated risk of premature mortality. While causal inference and machine learning (ML) methods are increasingly applied to observational survival data, the methodological landscape of this work remains unmapped. This scoping review mapped the extent, range, and nature of evidence using these methods to estimate or predict survival outcomes in this population. Following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology, eight databases were searched from inception to November 2025. From 11,584 identified records, 5629 were screened after duplicate removal, of which 104 studies met the inclusion criteria (99 peer-reviewed journal articles and 5 conference abstracts). Of these, 68 (65.4%) were published from 2020 onward, 104 (100.0%) were retrospective cohorts, and most used US registry data (75 [72.1%]; SEER alone, 59 [56.7%]). Eighty-seven studies applied causal inference methods, among which propensity score matching was near-universal (75; 86.2%), followed by inverse probability of treatment weighting (9; 10.3%). None used targeted maximum likelihood estimation, marginal structural models for time-varying confounding, causal forests, or target trial emulation. Methods commonly associated with causal inference were widely used, but formally specified causal analyses were uncommon. Only three studies (3.4%) were designed causal analyses (regression discontinuity, causal mediation, and inverse probability weighted analysis [1 study each]), one (1.1%) provided a complete identification statement, and one (1.1%) reported a sensitivity analysis for unmeasured confounding. Competing risks were relevant where a quantity of specific event(s) was estimated and death from other causes could prevent the observation of specific events. Among the 48 applicable causal studies, 9 (18.8%) used a competing risks or relative survival method. ML prediction methods were used in nineteen studies, most often random survival forests (12; 63.2%); only four (21.1%) were externally validated. Among 99 peer-reviewed studies, the most common methodological issues were competing risks mishandling (22/99; 22.2% overall) and model overfitting (15/99; 15.2%). Research applying causal inference and ML methods to survival outcomes in AYA cancer patients is growing rapidly. However, the evidence draws on a narrow range of methods and data, dominated by propensity score matching using US registry data, with minimal documentation of identifying assumptions, rare probing of unmeasured confounding, and competing risks rarely addressed where the outcome made them relevant. ML models showed adequate discrimination, but a large proportion were not externally validated or calibrated, raising concerns about external validity and generalizability. Closing the gap requires adopting target trial-emulated causal designs with estimand-appropriate competing risk handling, together with externally validated, calibrated mortality prediction tools.
Nana Owusu Mensah Essel, Rui Liu, Liz Dennett et al.
ABSTRACT Background Infants with non‐specific symptoms are sometimes labelled as cow's milk allergic and managed with specialized formula. These products differ from standard infant formula in protein and carbohydrate source, typically containing lower quality protein and free/added sugars such as glucose polymers or sucrose. We evaluated the frequency, timing, duration and estimated volume of specialized formula prescribed to young children. Methods We undertook a retrospective population‐based cohort study of children up to age 2 years born between 2009 and 2021 who were registered with a contributing UK general practice, predominantly in England. Community prescribing and demographic data were obtained from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum, a de‐identified primary care database representing approximately 24% of the population. National prescribing data for England were used to estimate community prescribing rates for 2022–2025. Results Of 4,203,276 children born between 2009–2021 in the database, 1,944,323 (46.3%) were registered by age 3 months with complete data to age 2 years and were included. Of these, 111,478 (5.7%) were prescribed specialized formula, rising from 1.7% of children born in 2009 to 7.9% in 2021 and an estimated 9.7% in 2025. Prescriptions were most commonly initiated at age 0–2 months. Multiple prescriptions were documented for 85,370 (76.6%) of these children. Children with multiple amino‐acid formula prescriptions consumed an estimated mean total of 242 L; those with multiple extensively hydrolysed formula prescriptions 203 L; and those with multiple soya formula prescriptions 137 L. Among these children, the median interval between first and last prescription was 257 days for amino‐acid formula, 213 days for extensively hydrolysed formula and 152 days for soya formula. Conclusions Community prescribing of specialized formula in England increased approximately five‐fold over the study period, potentially triggering significant free sugars exposure during infancy.
Nikita P. Punjabi, Karen Li, Mark Cunningham et al.
Background Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RBs) are a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), although the mechanisms underlying different RB subtypes remain poorly understood. The present study investigated the differential contribution of executive functions (EFs) to lower- and higher-level RBs in autistic children and explored whether specific EF domains mediated the relationship between sleep disturbances and RBs. Methods Fifty-seven autistic children aged 6–14 years underwent neuropsychological and behavioral assessment. RBs were assessed using the Repetitive Behavior Scale–Revised, executive functions using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–2, sleep disturbances through the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children, and behavioral difficulties through the Child Behavior Checklist. Results Partial correlations, regression analyses, and mediation models were performed. Distinct association patterns emerged across RB subtypes. Lower-level RBs were significantly associated only with emotional control difficulties, whereas higher-level RBs were associated with several EF domains, including inhibition, shifting, emotional control, planning, and initiation. Regression analyses showed that higher-level RBs were independently predicted by shifting difficulties, whereas lower-level RBs were significantly associated with IQ and behavioral problems. Mediation analyses indicated that emotional control difficulties significantly explained the association between sleep disturbances and lower-level RBs. In contrast, cognitive flexibility did not mediate the relationship between sleep disturbances and higher-level RBs. Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence of different patterns of association across lower- and higher-level RBs in autistic children. Emotional regulation processes may be particularly relevant for lower-level RBs, whereas cognitive flexibility appears more strongly related to higher-level RBs. Findings also suggest that sleep disturbances may contribute to specific RB manifestations through different mechanisms.
Elisa Fucà, Martina Parisi, Silvia Guerrera et al.
