Research Skills and Degree Completion Efficiency: A Diagnosis of the Obstacles to Graduation by Thesis

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The expansion in the number of options for obtaining a professional degree at Mexican universities has not translated into an improvement in students’ scientific output. On the contrary, indicators show a gradual decline in the choice of the thesis over standardized examinations, amid an ongoing debate about the usefulness of degree-qualifying projects given the lengthening of graduation times and the delayed entry into the labor market. This article analyzes the socioeconomic, personal, pedagogical, and methodological problems that students of the Bachelor’s program in Communication and Media at the Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit (UAN) face when developing their thesis. Using a quantitative approach and a descriptive cross-sectional design, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 78 eighth-semester students. The results reveal a contradiction: although the curriculum includes five consecutive research courses, 71.7% of the student body prefers to graduate through the EGEL-CENEVAL examination because they regard it as a faster process. Meanwhile, the 17.8% who consider writing a thesis face long working hours (91%), a lack of accessible advising (73.1%), and a theory-based form of teaching that does not translate into practical scientific-writing skills. It is concluded that the lag stems from factors related to pedagogical and institutional support; therefore, restructuring the research courses into production-workshop formats is proposed.

Media Framing of Indonesia’s Capital Relocation: Political Legitimacy, Cultural Symbolism, and National Identity in Digital News Coverage

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The relocation of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to Nusantara in East Kalimantan is not merely an administrative and infrastructural policy, but also a symbolic act of political communication. Online news media play a central role in translating this state-led project into public narratives that shape perceptions of legitimacy, cultural meaning, and national identity. This study examines how Indonesian online news media frame the capital relocation through three dimensions: political legitimacy, cultural symbolism, and national identity. Using a qualitative design, the study applies Pan and Kosicki’s framing analysis model, which examines news discourse through syntactic, script, thematic, and rhetorical structures. The data consist of five online news articles published by DetikNews and DetikJatim concerning symbolic events in the early phase of the Nusantara project, particularly the ritual of uniting soil and water from provinces across Indonesia in the Kendi Nusantara. The findings reveal three dominant frames. First, the political legitimacy frame emphasizes presidential leadership, governors’ participation, and coordinated state authority. Second, the cultural symbolism frame highlights ritual objects, cultural metaphors, and historical references such as Tanah Air, Kendi Nusantara, and Majapahit heritage. Third, the national identity frame presents the relocation as a collective national project that symbolically integrates diverse regions into a shared political imagination. These frames show how online news media transform a complex policy issue into a culturally resonant narrative of authority, unity, and national future-making. The study contributes to political communication and framing research by demonstrating how digital journalism legitimizes large-scale state projects through symbolic storytelling.

Keynes’s Message, Method and Language in the Works of Fausto Vicarelli

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This essay examines Keynes’s theoretical message, method and language, and traces their presence in the works of Fausto Vicarelli and in his intellectual legacy. Since the 1930s, following Keynes, the explanatory core of the business cycle has been located in the instability of the saving–investment relationship. Keynes regarded economics as a branch of logic rather than of mathematics — a way of thinking, not a pseudo-natural science. He did not write in the esoteric jargon of mathematicians addressed to a few colleagues; he used instead the language of those whose understanding and support were necessary for policy intervention. Following Keynes, Vicarelli stressed that economics is not an isolated body of knowledge but one inseparable from philosophy, psychology, history and politics. For him, economics was an important scientific discipline, yet unable, by itself, to capture the essence of human social behaviour.

Effects of Different Levels of DAP on Agronomical Characteristics and Yield of Mung bean

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Phosphorus deficiency is one of the main factors restricting mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) production in many parts of the world, including Afghanistan. Therefore, a field experiment was carried out in the 2025 growing season at the Research Farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kabul University, to determine the influence of different diammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer levels on mung bean growth and yield. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, consisting of four DAP rates: 0, 30, 60, and 90 kg ha⁻¹. The collected growth and yield data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), and mean comparisons were performed using the Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at a 5% probability level. The application of DAP fertilizer significantly improved plant height, shoot dry matter, number of branches, pods per plant, pod length, seeds per pod, and 100-seed weight. However, leaf number, grain weight per square meter, seed yield, and harvest index did not show significant differences among fertilizer treatments, although higher values were generally observed compared with the control treatment. The maximum seed yield (870.83 kg ha⁻¹) was obtained from the application of 60 kg DAP ha⁻¹, while the highest performance for most growth and yield-related traits was recorded under 90 kg DAP ha⁻¹. The findings suggest that DAP fertilizer application enhances mung bean growth and yield performance under the environmental conditions of Kabul. Among the tested fertilizer levels, 60 kg DAP ha⁻¹ was found to be the most effective rate for achieving higher grain yield.

Impact of Screen Time [PHONES, T.V., SOCIAL MEDIA] on Snacking Frequency in Children [5–14 Years] of Meerut District

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Children today spend a good part of their day in front of some screen or another, and parents often wonder how much of an effect this really has on the way their kids eat. That question is what this study set out to answer. Fifty parents of children aged 5–14 years in Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, were interviewed using a structured questionnaire as part of a cross-sectional descriptive study, and their answers were analysed using simple frequency and percentage calculations, then laid out in tables and graphs. What came out of the data was fairly consistent: television and mobile use both hovered around 1–2 hours a day for most children (36% and 32% respectively), and screen use was heaviest in the afternoon (56%) rather than morning or night. YouTube Shorts turned out to be the clear favourite among children (42%). Eating in front of a screen was the norm rather than the exception 34% of children always ate this way, and only 8% never did. Interestingly, when parents were asked why their children snack during screen time, taste (26%), hunger (24%) and habit (24%) came up far more often than advertisements (8%), which goes against the common assumption that ads are the main culprit. Nearly half the parents (46%) also mentioned that their child gets irritated if the screen is taken away mid-meal. Taken together, these findings suggest that screen time and snacking have become tightly woven into daily routine for many children in Meerut, and that the fix probably lies less in banning screens outright and more in building steadier mealtime habits and a bit more mindfulness around eating.

Effect of Foliar Application of Gibberellic Acid at Different Concentrations on Growth, Yield and Quality of Soybean (Glycine max L) under Semi-Arid of Kabul conditions

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Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important legume crops cultivated worldwide for its high-quality protein and oil content. Using the Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs), particularly gibberellic acid (GA₃) for foliar application, is considered to have great potential in enhancing the yield of soybeans. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of foliar-applied GA₃ on the growth and yield of soybean under the semi-arid condition prevailing in the Kabul University research farm during the 2025 growing season (May-September). Different concentrations of GA₃, such as 0, 50, 100, and 150 ppm, were used at the V6, pre-flowering, and pod-setting stages. The results showed that GA₃ application significantly influenced the growth performance, yield attributes and, seed quality. The plants treated with 150 ppm produced the tallest plants (64.14 cm). The maximum branch number (6.1) and leaf area (42.4 cm²) were recorded in plants treated with 100 ppm GA₃, and there was no significant difference between 100 and 150 ppm. The maximum number of pods per plant (60.35), seed yield (2967.3 kg ha), harvest index (43.4%), 100-seed weight (15.17 g), and seeds per pod (3.07) were noted in plants treated with 150 ppm. However, for all these parameters, there was no significant difference between 100 ppm and 150 ppm treatments. Protein and oil contents were highest in the 100-ppm treatment (38.03 and 19 %).

Effects of Varying Levels of Poultry Manure on Growth and Yield of Canola (Brassica napus L.) under Kabul Agro-climatic Conditions

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Canola (Brassica napus L.) is one of the key oilseed crops worldwide, serving as a vital source of edible oil, livestock feed, and biofuel. In Afghanistan, canola production faces significant challenges due to declining soil fertility and over-reliance on expensive chemical fertilizers. Poultry manure, as a low cost and nutrient-rich organic fertilizer, offers a sustainable alternative for improving crop productivity. However, limited scientific information is available regarding the optimal poultry manure application rate for canola under Kabul’s agro-climatic conditions. Therefore, an experimental research was conducted at Kabul University Agricultural Research Farm during the 2025 cropping season using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications and four treatments. The study aimed to evaluate Effects of Different Levels of Poultry manure on Growth, Yield, and Yield Components of Canola. The findings of the study revealed that the application of poultry manure significantly influenced on growth, yield and yield components of canola. Overall, the application of 8-ton poultry manure ha-1 had better performance than control. The maximum plant height (117.45 cm), number of branches plant-1 (5.65), number of leaves plant-1 (39.77), number of siliques plant-1 (184.61), silique length (6.01 cm), number of seeds silique-1 (18.39), thousand seed weight (3.40 g), seed yield (2.74 t ha⁻¹), biological yield (9.87 t ha⁻¹), and harvest index (27.76%) were all recorded in T4. The lowest values for all parameters were observed in the control treatment (T1). It is recommended that use 8 tons of poultry manure ha-1 in order to realize optimal seed yield and biological yield of the crop.

Nanoparticles In Cancer Drug Delivery: Recent Advances, Therapeutic Applications And Challenges

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Cancer is one of the major causes of Mortality around the world, Despite Having significant advances in diagnosis and treatment. Conventional therapeutic-based approaches such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgeries are often limited due to poor selectivity, Toxicity, inadequate accumulation of drugs at tumor sites, and development of resistance to multi-drugs. Nanotechnology has developed as a better platform for improving Cancer treatment through the development of Nanoparticle based System of drug delivery. These nanoparticles have unique Physical and chemical properties that include It’s nano scale size, Large surface area and its characteristics, enhanced drug-loaded capacity and controlled release of the drugs. These kind of properties helps to fight cancer cells by minimising damage to the healthy tissues. Various kinds of nanoparticles, Such as dendrimers, metallic nanoparticles, liposomes, and hybrid nano carriers, result in better therapeutic Outcomes in preclinical and clinical studies. Recent advancements Which include Smart Nanoparticles, gene delivery systems, Immunotherapy based Nanomedicines and environment responsive drug delivery systems for tumors, Etc. These nanoparticle-based therapies have a better potential for multi-drug resistance and enhance the treatment efficiency. Despite having these advancements, there are also some challenges Which includes toxicity, Biological effects, Manufacturing And regulatory approval. This affects its widespread use for clinical treatments. This review therefore summarizes the recent developments, therapeutic applications, challenges, and future perspectives of Nanoparticle based cancer drug delivery systems.

Development of Outdoor Learning Mathematics Project Based Learning Tools on Simple and Compound Interest to Improve Students’ Critical Thinking Ability

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This research is motivated by the continued dominance of conventional mathematics learning in vocational high schools, which rarely incorporates practical and contextual activities. Consequently, students’ critical thinking skills remain suboptimal, and learning tools based on the Outdoor Learning Mathematics Project (OLMP) are not yet available. This study aims to describe the process and results of developing OLMP-based learning tools for the topic of simple and compound interest that are valid, practical, and effective in improving vocational high school students’ critical thinking skills. This Research and Development (R&D) study adopted the 4D model (Define, Design, Develop, Disseminate). The subjects were 11th-grade students at SMKS 1 Pancasila Ambulu Jember. The developed tools included a Teaching Module, Student Worksheets (LKM), a FRISCO-oriented Critical Thinking Skills Test Package, and a User Manual. The results indicated that the learning tools met the validity criteria, with an average expert validity score (𝑉𝑎) ranging from 3.68 to 3.78 (valid category). The practicality criteria were also met, evidenced by an average learning implementation score of 3.78 (high category), a student activity rate of 91.35% (very active category), and a positive student response rate of 96.19%. Furthermore, the effectiveness criteria were achieved with a learning mastery rate of 85% (exceeding the 70% threshold), a moderate-to-high increase in the average N-Gain score, and an independent sample t-test showing a statistically significant difference compared to the control class (𝑝 < 0.05). Based on these findings, it is concluded that the OLMP-based learning tools for simple and compound interest are valid, practical, and effective in enhancing the critical thinking skills of vocational high school students.

Comparative Evaluation of Yield and Agronomic Traits of Four Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Varieties under the Agro-Climatic Conditions of Char Asiab District, Kabul, Afghanistan

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Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a staple cereal crops that provides income and support the livelihoods of local farmers of Afghanistan, while also playing a vital role in food security. It is a major source of carbohydrates and proteins for human consumption, while its straw is commonly used as livestock feed in Afghanistan. yet productivity remains below potential due to limited availability of locally adapted improved varieties. This study evaluated the agronomic performance, yield, and yield-related traits of four winter wheat varieties (Sohla 02, Sohla 018, Chont, and local variety Riza Gul) under irrigated conditions in Char Asiab District, Kabul, during the 2024–2025 growing season. Using a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications, the data was analyzed with Statistical Tools for Agricultural Research (STAR 2.0.1) software. significant varietal differences were observed for most traits. Result showed that Sohla 018 produced the highest grain yield (4,866.67 kg ha⁻¹), 1000-grain weight (44.36 g), and grains per spike (51.11). While Sohla 02 showed superior vegetative growth, this did not translate to higher yield. The findings identify Sohla 018 as the most suitable variety for cultivation in Char Asiab District, with potential to improve wheat productivity and contribute to food security in Afghanistan.