Search Results (161)

In this paper, I focus on a major corpus of the earliest Syrian Christian literature, Aphrahat the Persian Sage’s collection of epistles titled Demonstrations (Taḥwyātā; early 4th century), in order to gauge his thoughts on the “sins of reading”, peccata lectionis. First, I present the Aphrahatic corpus as it currently is and has been perceived over time in its Western and Eastern reception history. Then, I briefly consider what importance early Greek and Syriac monastic sources—like the Vita Antonii, the Pseudo-Macarian Homilies, Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Palladius’ Historia Lausiaca, the Ktābā dmasqātā (the Syriac Book of Steps), etc.—attributed to the reading of scripture as a regular part of a monk’s daily practice. It is against this historical backdrop that Aphrahat’s stance on reading scripture can be meaningfully interpreted. Finally, I present and analyze what the earliest-known orthodox Syrian church father, Aphrahat himself, has to say about the reading of scripture and its concurrent threat, the peccatum lectionis. As the Persian Sage was an excellent Biblical scholar, he made abundant references to religious reading practices in his Demonstrations. To his mind, the locus where sin may enter the meditative reading of early Syrian versions of the Bible is the interpretation of the text: misunderstanding it may lead to sin and potentially damnation. However, the wise person should be able to evade this danger, supported by the natural piety and cosmic religion inspired in them by the majesty of creation, which is a true reflection of divine infinity. Full article

This study examines the theological and liturgical significance of the biblical injunction to “sing a new song,” tracing its deployment across eras of Christian history as both a symbol of renewal and a tool of doctrinal contestation. Focusing on key moments of schism—the early Church’s response to Gnostic and Arian hymnody and Ambrose’s adoption of Eastern antiphonal singing, the article explores how musical form, meter, and performance practice became markers of orthodoxy and heresy long before Reformation-era musical reforms. Drawing on patristic commentary, heresiographical sources, and hymnological analysis, the study highlights how the popular style in various guises was alternately condemned and reclaimed. This suggests that Christian music has consistently evolved through interaction with popular and heterodox forms and that the “new song” in its exegetical form has functioned as a recurring strategy of theological self-definition. Ultimately, the paper argues that disputes over musical style mirror broader tensions between innovation and authority and that the history of hymnody offers a unique lens into the formation of Christian identity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Emotional and behavioral difficulties are common during adolescence and have lasting implications for well-being. Although several psychological resources—such as self-efficacy, mindfulness, and reflective functioning—have been individually linked to better adjustment, less is known about how these strengths jointly relate to perceived stress, difficulties, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to develop and test an integrative structural model capturing the interplay of these factors during early and mid-adolescence. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 395 adolescents (222 girls, 173 boys; aged 10–16 years) who completed self-report questionnaires assessing HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-10), emotional–behavioral difficulties (SDQ), perceived stress (PSS), self-efficacy (GSE), mindfulness (CAMM), and reflective functioning (RFQY-5). After descriptive analyses and correlation testing, the structural path model using observed variables examined how these variables were interrelated. Multi-group analyses assessed whether structural pathways were invariant across gender and age groups. Results: Mindfulness, self-efficacy, and reflective functioning were each indirectly associated with better HRQoL, mainly through lower perceived stress and fewer emotional–behavioral difficulties. Perceived stress showed a strong positive association with difficulties, and both constructs uniquely predicted lower HRQoL. The overall pattern of associations was fully consistent across age and broadly comparable across gender. Conclusions: The findings highlight the interconnected role of psychological resources, stress, and emotional–behavioral difficulties in adolescents’ well-being. However, the cross-sectional design, convenience sampling, reliance on self-report measures, and single-country sample limit the generalizability and causal interpretation of the results. The robustness of these pathways across age and their broad comparability across gender underscore their developmental relevance and suggest that programs aimed at strengthening socio-emotional competences may be meaningfully applied to support adolescents’ well-being already from early adolescence. Full article

Background: The gut microbiota plays a fundamental role in metabolic and immune homeostasis through the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These metabolites influence mitochondrial biogenesis, muscle energetics, epithelial barrier stability, and inflammatory regulation via G-protein-coupled receptors, AMPK–PGC-1α signaling, and epigenetic remodeling. Objective: This review synthesizes current evidence on the gut–muscle–immune axis, emphasizing how dietary fermentable substrates, microbial cross-feeding interactions, and structured exercise modulate SCFA production and shape host physiological adaptation. Methods: We integrated findings from human and animal studies, multi-omic analyses, metabolomic and microbiome research, and exercise physiology to outline mechanistic links between microbial metabolism and systemic resilience. Results: Key mechanistic pathways connecting dietary fiber fermentation to mitochondrial function, redox regulation, immune homeostasis, and metabolic plasticity are summarized. We further present the Targeted Gut Protocol 2.0, a conceptual 12-week framework combining fiber-diversity targets, lactate-guided exercise periodization, biomarker monitoring, and adaptive feedback mechanisms to enhance endogenous SCFA availability. Conclusions: SCFA-driven metabolic plasticity provides an integrative model through which lifestyle behaviors can modulate host physiology. Future research should prioritize standardized sampling approaches, causal inference methods, multi-omic integration, and AI-supported personalization to refine mechanistic understanding and strengthen translational potential. Full article

Arthur T. Pierson (1837–1911) was a noted Presbyterian pastor, writer, and advocate of world missions. His career spanned a turbulent era in American Presbyterianism which was reflective of the growing challenges faced by Protestant denominations and illustrates one path some Presbyterians took over the last decades of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth. Born into the antebellum northern evangelical world of the Second Great Awakening and its support of social reform, Pierson, by his death, had become a prominent voice for various doctrines that would coalesce into fundamentalism of the 1920s. Full article

Ageing literature, while growing in huge volume in the past decades, is still largely dominated by frameworks and topics of frailty and decline. A shift in attention to conceptualising ageing more holistically to include psychosocial and emotional aspects as well as subjective experience is much needed, in order to better account for the ageing (well) experience and processes in today’s times. There is a large portion of older adults with relatively good health. As life expectancy increases around the world, many older adults are living longer and healthier overall, often wishing for their lives to continue being active, meaningful, and fulfilling. With this changing demographic in mind, we argue for a framework of positive ageing. We define positive ageing as a subjective, intentional experience, which includes the multi-dimensional construction of ageing well. The notion of positive ageing has the potential to widen the scope of gerontological research and to help guide policy and intervention development. Furthermore, this conceptual framework and a cyclic model of positive ageing presented in the current work can effectively complement current models and practices of care in geriatrics by taking a more person-centred and holistic approach to understanding and managing health and well-being. Full article

In the last half century, the approach that identifies the influence of the Enlightenment in the academic and public activities of the ecclesiastical intellectuals has taken root in the history of ideas, including in Central and Eastern Europe. One of the aims of this trend is to identify the reform ideas that emerged among the leaders of Christian churches and non-Christian religious communities to modernize pastoral practice. As one of the most important results, the changes that took place in the second half of the 18th century are no longer seen as the inevitable consequence of external forces, primarily from the state, but also as the derivative of internal aspirations in dialog with the ‘Zeitgeist’. Previous scholarly work, however, rarely examined the theoretical considerations behind the reform of religious practice, which can in fact be explained by changes in the image of the church among the ecclesiastical intelligentsia. The study aims to illustrate these changes in the ecclesiastical image by means of three contemporary texts, focused on the episcopal oath and the reform of the clergy. Full article

Multimedia learning effectiveness varies widely across cultural contexts and individual learner characteristics, yet existing educational technologies lack computational frameworks that predict and optimize these interactions. This study introduces the Multimedia Integration Impact Assessment Model (MIIAM), a machine learning framework integrating cognitive style detection, cultural background inference, multimedia complexity optimization, and ensemble prediction into a unified architecture. MIIAM was validated with 493 software engineering students from Zimbabwe and South Africa through the analysis of 4.1 million learning interactions. The framework applied Random Forests for automated cognitive style classification, hierarchical clustering for cultural inference, and a complexity optimization engine for content analysis, while predictive performance was enhanced by an ensemble of Random Forests, XGBoost, and Neural Networks. The results demonstrated that MIIAM achieved 87% prediction accuracy, representing a 14% improvement over demographic-only baselines (p < 0.001). Cross-cultural validation confirmed strong generalization, with only a 2% accuracy drop compared to 11–15% for traditional models, while fairness analysis indicated substantially reduced bias (Statistical Parity Difference = 0.08). Real-time testing confirmed deployment feasibility with an average 156 ms processing time. MIIAM also optimized multimedia content, improving knowledge retention by 15%, reducing cognitive overload by 28%, and increasing completion rates by 22%. These findings establish MIIAM as a robust, culturally responsive framework for adaptive multimedia learning environments. Full article

Labour migration from Central and Eastern Europe plays a significant role in the labour market of the European Union, yet few studies examine the direction and extent of occupational mobility triggered by migration. This study introduces a new analytical tool, the Career Benefit Index, which measures the direction of change in occupational status between the labour markets of the country of origin and the host country. The tool also enables the assessment of sociological factors that explain these changes. The index was developed using data from Hungarian workers living in Austria and Germany. The analysis revealed that educational attainment has no significant impact on career mobility. In contrast, demographic factors such as gender, age, and particularly very high-level German language proficiency strongly influence career trajectories. The index demonstrates that labour market capacities play a limited role in shaping migrants’ career paths, as the host labour markets tend to “evaluate” migrant workers primarily based on their linguistic and demographic attributes. The index and the findings contribute to a deeper understanding of labour market integration among Central and Eastern European migrants and may offer new directions for migration and employment policy analysis. Full article

The personal documents of the biblical scholar Heinz Schürmann as a member of the commission charged with the elaboration of the Mass lectionary of Vatican II show that this was not an exegetical work which did away with the traditional way the Church used the Bible in the Eucharist, as some critics have recently declared, but an ecclesial endeavor carried out in fidelity to the tradition and rigorous scholarship. My research of Schürmann’s files has shed a personal and original light on the entire process of organizing the new Mass readings. His contributions are multiple, but especially in producing a more biblically Christological lectionary, which would eventually lead to greater unity among the different Christian communities. Schürmann always lamented that biblical scholars were not heard by the overwhelming majority of liturgists. The question of time restrictions on the work of this commission has surfaced as a real concern. Renewed scholarship on figures like Schürmann, who contributed so positively to Vatican II’s liturgical reform, is much needed today to underline the validity and value of such a renewal of today’s Church. Full article

The hospitality industry’s rapid adoption of AI service robots has revealed significant variability in consumer acceptance, highlighting the need for personality-based implementation strategies rather than one-size-fits-all approaches. This study extended the AIDUA (Artificial Intelligence Device Use Acceptance) model by integrating Big Five personality traits and robot design characteristics to understand AI service robot acceptance among South African hospitality consumers. A convergent mixed-methods design combined structural equation modeling of survey data (n = 301) with natural language processing analysis of qualitative responses to examine personality-acceptance pathways and consumer concern themes. Results demonstrated that neuroticism negatively influenced performance expectancy (β = −0.284, p < 0.001), while openness enhanced hedonic motivation and preference for humanoid robots (β = 0.347, p < 0.001). Privacy concerns partially mediated the neuroticism-rejection relationship, while transparency interventions significantly improved acceptance among high-neuroticism consumers (effect size d = 0.98). Four distinct consumer segments emerged: Tech Innovators (23.1%), Pragmatic Adopters (31.7%), Cautious Sceptics (28.4%), and Social Moderates (16.8%), each requiring tailored robot deployment strategies. The extended AIDUA framework explained 68.4% of variance in acceptance intentions, providing hospitality operators with empirically validated guidelines for matching robot types to guest personality profiles, optimizing guest satisfaction while minimizing resistance through culturally sensitive implementation strategies. Full article

Inflammation and immune evasion promote tumorigenesis and progression. Elevated systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) is associated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Low Human Leukocyte Antigen-DR (HLA-DR) expression on monocytes is also associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC. We aimed to investigate the relationship between these two indicators and develop a predictive model based on them. SIRI was calculated and monocyte HLA-DR expression was measured by flow cytometry in 58 advanced (stage IIIB-IV) NSCLC patients. The log-rank test and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model were used for analysis. We confirmed that both high SIRI and low monocyte HLA-DR expression were associated with poor PFS and OS, respectively. We found a significant inverse correlation between SIRI and monocyte HLA-DR expression. In the multivariable Cox regression model, both SIRI and monocyte HLA-DR expression were identified as independent prognostic markers for PFS and OS. We also developed a nomogram for predicting PFS and OS. In conclusion, we demonstrated that the systemic inflammation response of advanced NSCLC patients, estimated by SIRI, was associated with reduced HLA-DR expression on circulating monocytes, which may influence their antigen-presenting function. Consequently, the integration of these two biomarkers into one prognostic model improves short term survival prediction in advanced NSCLC. To our knowledge, this is the first integration of SIRI and HLA-DR into a combined prognostic nomogram. Full article

In the context of global modernization, both the United States and China faced major challenges in rural social development. In the early twentieth century, the American federal government launched the Country Life Movement, during which Christianity addressed the rural crisis through rural church reforms. Meanwhile, influenced by the American-led World Agricultural Mission Movement, the Christian churches applied the experiences and insights gained from the U.S. rural church reforms to China’s rural reconstruction movement. During the first half of the twentieth century, the Christian rural reconstruction models in China evolved to become increasingly comprehensive and targeted. In the early decades, Christian missions promoted the establishment of an agricultural education system to cultivate rural talents. By the 1920s, churches in China had developed a comprehensive rural social reform program. After the 1928 Jerusalem Meeting of the International Missionary Council (IMC), the concept of “Rural Community Parish” emerged as the guiding principle for the comprehensive rural reconstruction program in China. The Christian church further clarified its ultimate goal: to build a “Christian rural civilization in China.” Based on this, Christian rural work in China developed steadily until 1950, when the withdrawal of Christian forces brought an end to their rural influence in China. Full article

This essay examines the interplay between politics and religion through the lens of correspondence between the future Pope Paul IV and his sister Maria Carafa, largely published in 1670 in Francesco Maria Maggio’s Life of the Venerable Maria Carafa. The analysis reveals how Carafa strategically used this epistolary relationship to shape his public image and religious–political agenda. The letters serve as a carefully crafted narrative tool. Carafa’s portrayal of himself as a leader seeking spiritual guidance from his saintly sister can be interpreted as a calculated political move to legitimize his religious authority and reform initiatives. This correspondence thus becomes a nexus where personal piety and public policy intersect. Maria Carafa’s writings, reconstructed in absentia, offer a perspective on the religious–political landscape of the time. Her role as both sister and spiritual mother to the future pope challenges traditional gender hierarchies within the Church, while also serving Carafa’s narrative of divine guidance for his actions. Full article

Despite their presence in the Church, women are often underrepresented in leadership roles. In particular, young people, especially young women, are becoming increasingly distant from the Church. They are less engaged, and fewer young women are opting for a life of consecration. However, according to Christian teachings, the involvement of all members is vital to the Christian community. This qualitative study relies on semi-structured interviews (N = 20) and explores the engagement of young Catholic women in Lebanon, focusing on two key concepts: vocation and sense of belonging to the Church. It examines how perceptions of vocation are associated with belonging to the Church. Findings indicate that social and ideological shifts, namely the rise in individualism and women’s empowerment and the decline of religious education in families, among others, have contributed to a decline in young women’s sense of vocation and belonging to the Church. The research also proposes a framework explaining the complex relationship between social change and the decline of vocation and belonging among women. The findings have implications for the Church and society, notably the need to bridge the existing gap between society and the Church and provide decision-making opportunities for women in the Church. Full article