12. North Star: St. Herman of Alaska by Dorrie Papademetriou (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2001) and Basil's Search for Miracles part 10 (chapter 21) by Heather Zydek (Conciliar Press, 2007).

Fr. Theodore Paraskevopoulos shares the story of Fr. Nicola Yanney, of blessed memory, as he calls us to pursue life in Christ even in the face of danger and illness.

Kevin and Steve interview Fr. Wayne about some hard to ask questions about Lent.

Dean Emeritus of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary, theologian and writer answers listener questions ranging from the valdity of the "charismatic" gifts (a fitting question for Pentecost Sunday!),to the Christian basis for the animal rights movement!

In this monthly segment, Dean Emeritus of St Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary Fr. Tom Hopko answers listener questions ranging from theories of the Atonement, to Biblical higher-critical theory.

This is the 2nd in our monthly installments of Q&A with Fr. Tom on a variety of subjects related to our faith and Orthodoxy. In this episode he tackles questions about pre-destination and Mary. This feature will be heard the last Sunday of every month.

In this episode, Andrew suggests that the mask is our attempt to save and build our own lives, and yet when we put it on, our life is lost. In the same way, the mockery of intimacy in pornography shrinks and deforms us. Read the transcript HERE.

Archpriest Michael Oleksa delivered a powerful, enlightening, and heart-felt message on the campus of St. Vladimir's Seminary Saturday, September 1, 2018, as part of the Seminary's celebration of the Ecclesiastical New Year. The distinguished alumnus and author beautifully weaved the history of the Alaskan Mission and the work of St. Herman and others into the present, as the Orthodox Church continues to defend the native peoples of Alaska and uphold the sanctity of the created world. Fr. Michael passionately implored Orthodox Christians everywhere to draw upon the past and modern-day experience of Orthodoxy in Alaska in witnessing Christ to all nations.

Or, maybe you shouldn't... there are other people who are more authoritative. I'll tell you where to find them.

Fr. Evan welcomes another guest co-host tonight: Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos. Fr. Ted is heard on AFR with his iSermon and Fr. TedTalks podcasts. They field listener questions on the role of pain and suffering, making your home an Orthodox home, liturgical translations, and, from both of them, a statement of what makes Orthodoxy so special.

Listen to reflections from Fr. Nicolaie at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Asking for mercy from God is at the heart of the Church's prayer. Fr Tom teaches us that that two seeminly opposing attitudes, humility and boldness, are necessary to continually approach the throne of God. (Thirty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost - The Canaanite Woman)

The Fathers of the Church are very clear that it is not God who separates himself from sinners and punishes them but rather sinners themselves who, through their own bad choices, separate themselves from the Lord and experience in that separation the sufferings of hell, darkness and despair.

We sometimes approach God and say, “I want you to do whatever I ask.” Does it work?

Bobby interviews Fr. James Guirguis, the author of the new Ancient Faith Publishing book Ask for the Ancient Paths: Discovering What Church Is Meant to Be.

Dr. Albert Rossi challenges us to consider how we are relating to one another over the issue of wearing facial masks.

Dr. Albert Rossi reflects on the call to accept reality without complaint, praying for the needs of each new day.

Dr. Albert Rossi continues his reflection on contentment in each new day.

Dr. Albert Rossi reflects on the many ordinary tasks that we do each day.

We are saddened by the problems being faced by our Orthodox Church in Alaska. The Church has sent Archbishop Nathaniel and Bishop Tikhon on a fact-finding mission. The clergy in Alaska are invited to meet with these hierarchs but many can't afford the travel. St. Andrew House Center for Orthodox Christian Studies is making funds available for that travel. Our interview is with the Treasurer, Dean Calvert. To donate, go to the St. Andrew House web site.

Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. Nicholai Isaac, a priest serving in rural Alaska, about the Yukon Deanery Orthodox Church Conference that will be held August 19-21 at St. Seraphim of Sarov Orthodox Church in Lower Kalskag.

An interview with Fr. Laurent Cleenewerck, Editor of the Greek Orthodox New Testament and one of the keynote speakers, along with Fr. Meletios Webber, Abbot of the St. John of San Francisco Monastery, at next year's Alaska Conference at Sea.

Fr. Laurent Cleenewerck joins us to talk about an upcoming cruise to Alaska with an Orthodox theme. Fr. Michael Oleksa, author of Everyday Wonders will be the main speaker and you will experience the history and spiritual richness of Orthodoxy in Alaska. The dates are September 7-14, 2019, and you might be surprised how affordable it is!

In this episode Bobby Maddex interviews His Grace Bishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska on the history of the Alaskan Orthodox Church. Wonderful discussion about what life looks like for the clergy of the church and its parishioners. If you would like to donate the Alaskan diocese you can do so @ odesa.org.

Bobby Maddex interviews Vladyka Alexei, the Bishop of the Orthodox Church in America serving the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska, about his trip to the Alaskan village of Kwethluk to speak to the faithful there about Saintly Matushka Olga and the Church and cultural center that will be erected in her honor. To learn more about the project (as well as the film about His Grace's pilgrimage to Kwethluk) and help fund it, please visit https://odosa.org.

In this special documentary, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick goes on pilgrimage to encounter Fr. Nicola Yanney, an early 20th century Orthodox missionary in America and the first priest ordained by St. Raphael of Brooklyn, whose missionary territory included most of the Great Plains. Join Fr. Andrew as he explores the life of this holy man through interviews, research and prayer in Kearney, Nebraska, asking the question: Is Fr. Nicola a saint? Included with this documentary are 9 bonus tracks of extra interviews and other material that was not included in the main documentary.

Fr. Pat speaks on the Gospel of the Final Judgment, and what it teaches us about Christ.

In the opening verses of Romans 5, Paul says we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Fr. Pat examines the characteristics of Christian hope.

In this homily from Agape Vespers 2021, Fr. Pat explains how the task of the Church is to share with the world the message of the Cross; not as an abstraction, but as something they can reach out and feel.

The Football Association of Wales has made a presentation to Merthyr Town to entice them out of the English non-league system into an expanded Cymru Premier in 2026.

CPRE Surrey is opposing planning permission given to University of Surrey to build a solar facility.

A letter to Newport Town Council claims the animals face distress, fear and mental fatigue.

Ruben Amorim says he is ready to face the challenge of the "difficult" job ahead at Manchester United.

With the rapid development and application of driverless technology, the number and location of vehicles, the channel and bandwidth of wireless network are time-varying, which leads to the increase of offloading delay and energy consumption of existing algorithms. To solve this problem, the vehicle terminal task offloading decision problem is modelled as a Markov decision process, and a task offloading algorithm based on DDQN is proposed. In order to guide agents to quickly select optimal strategies, this paper proposes an offloading mechanism based on task feature. In order to solve the problem that the processing delay of some edge server tasks exceeds the upper limit of their delay, a task scheduling mechanism based on buffer delay is proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed method has greater performance advantages in reducing delay and energy consumption compared with existing algorithms.

It is inevitable for basketball players to have physical injury in sports. Reducing basketball injury is one of the main aims of the study of basketball. In view of this, this paper proposes a monocular vision and FMS injury prediction model for basketball players. Aiming at the limitations of traditional FMS testing methods, this study introduces intelligent machine learning methods. In this study, random forest algorithm was introduced into OpenPose network to improve model node occlusion, missed detection or false detection. In addition, to reduce the computational load of the network, the original OpenPose network was replaced by a lightweight OpenPose network. The experimental results show that the average processing time of the proposed model is about 90 ms, and the output video frame rate is 10 frames per second, which can meet the real-time requirements. This study analysed the students participating in the basketball league of the College of Sports Science of Nantong University, and the results confirmed the accuracy of the injury prediction of college basketball players based on FMS scores. It is hoped that this study can provide some reference for the research of injury prevention of basketball players.

Prior work demonstrates the importance of introducing young children to programming and engineering content before gender stereotypes are fully developed and ingrained in later years. However, very little research on gender and early childhood technology interventions exist. This pilot study looks at N=45 children in kindergarten through second grade who completed an eight-week robotics and programming curriculum using the KIWI robotics kit. KIWI is a developmentally appropriate robotics construction set specifically designed for use with children ages 4 to 7 years old. Qualitative pre-interviews were administered to determine whether participating children had any gender-biased attitudes toward robotics and other engineering tools prior to using KIWI in their classrooms. Post-tests were administered upon completion of the curriculum to determine if any gender differences in achievement were present. Results showed that young children were beginning to form opinions about which technologies and tools would be better suited for boys and girls. While there were no significant differences between boys and girls on the robotics and simple programming tasks, boys performed significantly better than girls on the advanced programming tasks such as, using repeat loops with sensor parameters. Implications for the design of new technological tools and curriculum that are appealing to boys and girls are discussed.

Aim/Purpose: The aims of this study were to investigate the feasibility of automatic assessment of programming tasks and to compare manual assessment with automatic assessment in terms of the effect of the different assessment methods on the marks of the students. Background: Manual assessment of programs written by students can be tedious. The assistance of automatic assessment methods might possibly assist in reducing the assessment burden, but there may be drawbacks diminishing the benefits of applying automatic assessment. The paper reports on the experience of a lecturer trying to introduce automated grading. Students’ solutions to a practical Java programming test were assessed both manually and automatically and the lecturer tied the experience to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Methodology: The participants were 226 first-year students registered for a Java programming course. Of the tests the participants submitted, 214 were assessed both manually and automatically. Various statistical methods were used to compare the manual assessment of student’s solutions with the automatic assessment of the same solutions. A detailed investigation of reasons for differences was also carried out. A further data collection method was the lecturer’s reflection on the feasibility of automatic assessment of programming tasks based on the UTAUT. Contribution: This study enhances the knowledge regarding benefits and drawbacks of automatic assessment of students’ programming tasks. The research contributes to the UTAUT by applying it in a context where it has hardly been used. Furthermore, the study is a confirmation of previous work stating that automatic assessment may be less reliable for students with lower marks, but more trustworthy for the high achieving students. Findings: An automatic assessment tool verifying functional correctness might be feasible for assessment of programs written during practical lab sessions but could be less useful for practical tests and exams where functional, conceptual and structural correctness should be evaluated. In addition, the researchers found that automatic assessment seemed to be more suitable for assessing high achieving students. Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper makes it clear that lecturers should know what assessment goals they want to achieve. The appropriate method of assessment should be chosen wisely. In addition, practitioners should be aware of the drawbacks of automatic assessment before choosing it. Recommendation for Researchers: This work serves as an example of how researchers can apply the UTAUT theory when conducting qualitative research in different contexts. Impact on Society: The study would be of interest to lecturers considering automated assessment. The two assessments used in the study are typical of the way grading takes place in practice and may help lecturers understand what could happen if they switch from manual to automatic assessment. Future Research: Investigate the feasibility of automatic assessment of students’ programming tasks in a practical lab environment while accounting for structural, functional and conceptual assessment goals.

Aim/Purpose: The goal of this paper is to examine whether having female robotics teachers positively impacts girls’ performance on programming and robotics tasks Background: Women continue to be underrepresented in the technical STEM fields such as engineering and computer science. New programs and initiatives are needed to engage girls in STEM beginning in early childhood. The goal of this work is to explore the impact of teacher gender on young children’s mastery of programming concepts after completing an introductory robotics program. Methodology: A sample of N=105 children from six classrooms (2 Kindergarten, 2 first grade, and 2 second grade classes) from a public school in Somerville, Massachusetts, participated in this research. Children were taught the same robotics curriculum by either an all-male or all-female teaching team. Upon completion of the curriculum, they completed programming knowledge assessments called Solve-Its. Comparisons between the performance of boys and girls in each of the teaching groups were made. Findings: This paper provides preliminary evidence that having a female instructor may positively impact girls’ performance on certain programming tasks and reduce the number of gender differences between boys and girls in their mastery of programming concepts. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners should expose children to STEM role-models from a variety of backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and experiences. Future Research: Researchers should conduct future studies with larger samples of teachers in order to replicate the findings here. Additionally, future research should focus on collecting data from teachers in the form of interviews and surveys in order to find out more about gender-based differences in teaching style and mentorship and the impact of this on girls' interest and performance in STEM.

Aim/Purpose: This paper investigates the influence of university student multitasking on their learning success, defined as students’ learning satisfaction and performance. Background: Most research on student multitasking finds student multitasking problematic. However, this research is generally from 2010. Yet, today’s students are known to be digital natives and they have a different, more positive, relationship with mobile technologies. Based on the old findings, most instructors ban mobile technology use during instruction, and design their online courses without regard for the mobile technology use that happens regardless of their ban. This study investigates whether today’s instructors and learning management system interface designers should take into account multitasking with mobile technologies. Methodology: A quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Data were collected from 117 students across two sections of an introductory Management Information Systems class taught by the first author. We took multiple approaches and steps to control for confounding factors and to increase the internal validity of the study. We used a control group as a comparison group, we used a pre-test, we controlled for selection bias, and we tested for demographic differences between groups. Contribution: With this paper, we explicated the relationship between multitasking and learning success. We defined learning success as learning performance and learning satisfaction. Contrary to the literature, we found that multitasking involving IT texting does not decrease students’ learning performance. An explanation of this change is the change in the student population, and the digital nativeness between 2010s and 2020 and beyond. Findings: Our study showed that multitasking involving IT texting does not decrease students’ performance in class compared to not multitasking. Secondly, our study showed that, overall, multitasking reduced the students’ learning satisfaction despite the literature suggesting otherwise. We found that attitude towards multitasking moderated the relationship between multitasking and learning satisfaction as follows. Individuals who had a positive attitude towards multitasking had high learning satisfaction with multitasking. However, individuals who had positive attitude toward multitasking did not necessarily have higher learning performance. Recommendations for Practitioners: We would recommend both instructors and the designers of learning management systems to take mobile multitasking into consideration while designing courses and course interfaces, rather than banning multitasking, and assuming that the students do not do it. Furthermore, we recommend including multitasking into relevant courses such as Management Information Systems courses to make students aware of their own multitasking behavior and their results. Recommendation for Researchers: We recommend that future studies investigate multitasking with different instruction methods, especially studies that make students aware of their multitasking behavior and its outcomes will be useful for next generations. Impact on Society: This paper investigates the role of mobile multitasking on learning performance. Since mobile technologies are ubiquitous and their use in multitasking is common, their use in multitasking affects societal performance. Future Research: Studies that replicate our research with larger and more diverse samples are needed. Future research could explore research-based experiential teaching methods, similar to this study.

Aim/Purpose: This mixed-methods study aims to examine factors influencing academicians’ intentions to continue using AI-based chatbots by integrating the Task-Technology Fit (TTF) model and social network characteristics. Background: AI-powered chatbots are gaining popularity across industries, including academia. However, empirical research on academicians’ adoption behavior is limited. This study proposes an integrated model incorporating TTF factors and social network characteristics like density, homophily, and connectedness to understand academics’ continuance intentions. Methodology: A qualitative study involving 31 interviews of academics from India examined attitudes and the potential role of social network characteristics like density, homophily, and connectedness in adoption. Results showed positive sentiment towards chatbots and themes on how peer groups accelerate diffusion. In the second phase, a survey of 448 faculty members from prominent Indian universities was conducted to test the proposed research model. Contribution: The study proposes and validates an integrated model of TTF and social network factors that influence academics’ continued usage intentions toward AI chatbots. It highlights the nuanced role of peer networks in shaping adoption. Findings: Task and technology characteristics positively affected academics’ intentions to continue AI chatbot usage. Among network factors, density showed the strongest effect on TTF and perceived usefulness, while homophily and connectedness had partial effects. The study provides insights into designing appropriate AI tools for the academic context. Recommendations for Practitioners: AI chatbot designers should focus on aligning features to academics’ task needs and preferences. Compatibility with academic work culture is critical. Given peer network influences, training and demonstrations to user groups can enhance adoption. Platforms should have capabilities for collaborative use. Targeted messaging customized to disciplines can resonate better with academic subgroups. Multidisciplinary influencers should be engaged. Concerns like plagiarism risks, privacy, and job impacts should be transparently addressed. Recommendation for Researchers: More studies are needed across academic subfields to understand nuanced requirements and barriers. Further studies are recommended to investigate differences across disciplines and demographics, relative effects of specific network factors like size, proximity, and frequency of interaction, the role of academic leadership and institutional policies in enabling chatbot adoption, and how AI training biases impact usefulness perceptions and ethical issues. Impact on Society: Increased productivity in academia through the appropriate and ethical use of AI can enhance quality, access, and equity in education. AI can assist in mundane tasks, freeing academics’ time for higher-order objectives like critical thinking development. Responsible AI design and policies considering socio-cultural aspects will benefit sustainable growth. With careful implementation, it can make positive impacts on student engagement, learning support, and research efficiency. Future Research: Conduct longitudinal studies to examine the long-term impacts of AI chatbot usage in academia. Track usage behaviors over time as familiarity develops. Investigate differences across academic disciplines and roles. Requirements may vary for humanities versus STEM faculty or undergraduate versus graduate students. Assess user trust in AI and how it evolves with repeated usage, and examine trust-building strategies. Develop frameworks to assess pedagogical effectiveness and ethical risks of conversational agents in academic contexts.

The research goal is to solve the problems of low accuracy and long time existing in traditional teaching reform performance evaluation methods, a performance evaluation method of teaching reform based on hierarchical multi-task deep learning is proposed. Under the principle of constructing the evaluation index system, the evaluation indicator system should be constructed. The weight of the evaluation index is calculated through the analytic hierarchy process, and the calculation result of the evaluation weight is taken as the model input sample. A hierarchical multi-task deep learning model for teaching reform performance evaluation is built, and the final teaching reform performance score is obtained. Through relevant experiments, it is proved that compared with the experimental comparison method, this method has the advantages of high evaluation accuracy and short time, and can be further applied in relevant fields.