Search Results (3,515)

This work presents the first in-depth investigation of Theodor Aman’s paintings that focuses on three of his heritage artworks: “Hora de peste Olt” (1866), “Teleleice în Harem” (1879), and “Regimul vechi” (1881), and that relies on both elemental and spectroscopic analytical techniques. Non-destructive Raman spectroscopy was employed on all three works of art to identify the pigments used by the Romanian master. In addition, micro-samples were available from “Hora de peste Olt” and “Teleleice în Harem”, which were further analyzed using XRD, micro-Raman, ATR-FTIR, and SEM-EDS techniques to provide complementary information on the pigments. SEM-EDS was also applied to study the structure of the preparation layers. The analyses revealed significant differences between the artworks in terms of both the pigments employed and the preparation of the canvas, suggesting that the earlier artwork belongs to one creative phase, while the newer pieces can be attributed to a later phase in the artist’s career. Full article

In the current labor market, perceived employability is a key resource for university students approaching the transition from university to work, which is often marked by heightened stress, vulnerability, and unhealthy behaviors, particularly in contexts with high youth unemployment rates. Despite prior research documenting the buffering role of perceived employability in the relationships between career-related stressors and well-being, limited evidence exists regarding the roles of faculty support and self-compassion, a fundamental factor for effective emotional regulation, during university years. Consequently, this study aimed to examine the relationships between faculty support, self-compassion, career self-efficacy, career planning, and perceived employability through a self-report questionnaire completed by 186 Italian university students, mainly female, with a mean age of 21.24 (SD = 2.57). Results from a partial least squares model indicated that faculty support was indirectly associated with perceived employability through self-compassion, career self-efficacy, and career planning. These findings could support higher education organizations by suggesting the design of interventions to promote supportive learning environments and to develop training in emotional regulation skills. Such an approach could empower students to effectively cope with career-related stressors and, in turn, engage in adaptive behaviors associated with employability. Full article

Choosing a future career represents a complex developmental task, often accompanied by multiple concerns and anxieties. The Social Cognitive Career Theory and Life Design paradigm emphasize the importance of supporting individuals in managing career-related challenges. However, global stressors—such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and increasing awareness of the climate emergency—have introduced new and multifaceted sources of uncertainty that are not adequately captured by existing instruments. This gap highlights the need for a psychometrically sound measure to assess emerging career-related concerns in the contemporary context. Accordingly, the study aimed to develop and validate the Career Concerns related to Perceived Environmental Challenges (CC-PEC Scale). Four studies were conducted. Study 1 employed exploratory factor analysis, supporting a three-factor structure (Career-related COVID-19 pandemic concern, Career-related war concern, and Career-related climate emergency concern). Study 2 confirmed this structure using confirmatory factor analysis and demonstrated measurement invariance across gender, supporting a hierarchical factorial model. Study 3 provided evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity through associations with related constructs. Study 4 offered preliminary evidence of stability and predictive validity using life satisfaction and flourishing as outcome variables. Overall, the findings support the CC-PEC Scale as a reliable and valid instrument for assessing career-related concerns linked to global environmental challenges. These results have important implications for research and career guidance interventions aimed at supporting young people’s career development in increasingly uncertain contexts. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to compare AI-generated educational material with faculty-authored content in Dental Prostheses Technology, evaluating perceived clarity, accuracy, structure, usefulness, and overall instructional quality across different age and professional groups. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using two versions of the first three chapters of a prosthodontics textbook: the original faculty-authored text and a reformulated version generated by ChatGPT 5.2 (OpenAI). Images were removed and formatting standardized to ensure a text-only comparison. An anonymized online questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale assessed clarity, accuracy, readability, usefulness and structure. To reduce potential bias, participants were unaware of the authorship of the evaluated materials (human-authored vs. AI-generated). A total of 130 participants independently reviewed both documents. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank, Mann–Whitney U, and Friedman tests. Results: Both materials received favorable evaluations across all dimensions. The AI-generated version demonstrated a statistically significant advantage in clarity (Z = −2.107, p = 0.035; r = 0.19), while no significant differences were observed for structure, accuracy, readability, or usefulness. Generational differences emerged: younger participants valued improved clarity but reported reduced usefulness, mid-career participants showed the greatest improvement in perceived accuracy, and senior professionals reported substantial gains in usefulness and readability. Conclusions: AI-generated educational material demonstrates pedagogical equivalence to faculty-authored content, with clarity representing its principal advantage. Large language models may serve as effective complementary tools in dental education, particularly for restructuring complex content. Full article

This study examines how first-year Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students navigate early career development through critical turning points, the articulation of personal values, and the development of resilience. While teacher identity and professional formation have been explored conceptually, there remains limited empirical insight into students’ lived experiences at this formative stage. Adopting a qualitative design, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 first-year ITE students from three UK universities, representing diverse cultural backgrounds and entry pathways, at the end of their first academic year. Data were analysed using a general inductive approach. Four interconnected themes emerged: clarifying purpose through critical turning points, negotiating tensions between personal values and institutional expectations, building resilience through community and reflective practice, and articulating meaning through spiritual perspectives in early teacher development. The findings demonstrate that formative experiences are not isolated events but are embedded within broader developmental trajectories shaped by relational support and opportunities for meaning-making. The study contributes to wider debates on early professional identity formation by offering an integrated, empirically grounded account of how purpose, values, and resilience interact to shape sustainable career pathways. Implications are discussed for ITE programme design and for supporting early-career development in the teaching profession and beyond. Full article

Background: Professional identity formation (PIF) and wellbeing are increasingly being recognised in postgraduate Family Medicine (FM) education. Role models are central to both, yet traditional learning activities often struggle to implement them effectively. Podcasts offer a flexible medium that may support these goals. This study examines the potential of postgraduate medical education (PGME) podcasts, such as the European Young Family Doctor’s Movement (EYFDM) podcast, to promote PIF and wellbeing. Methods: This mixed-methods study analyses podcast use, role modelling effects, and PIF among young general practitioners (GPs). In 2024, 57 participants, including students, FM trainees, and specialists, completed an online questionnaire with quantitative and qualitative items. Descriptive and analytical statistics were combined with qualitative content analysis (Kuckartz). Sentiment analysis was conducted using artificial intelligence, and triangulation enhanced credibility. Results: Within the trainees and specialists of the study population, most participants (70%; 32/46 SPs) reported regularly using podcasts for PGME, and particularly young female GPs in Western Europe. In our study population, 90% (27/30 SPs) agreed that the podcasts broadened their perspective on professional opportunities in FM. Many participants reported reflections on potential career pathways and PIF. Exposure to role models significantly increased motivation to work in FM (χ² (1) = 10.7, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Podcasts may help address gaps in affective competency training, including wellbeing and PIF, while integrating easily into busy routines. Findings suggest a positive influence on career attitudes, with role modelling supporting PIF and motivation in FM. Full article

From the witch-like widow on the edges of civilisation to the retired spinster who, after an active but disappointing sexual past, chooses to continue her single life, the celibate women of Edna O’Brien’s fiction have as much to contribute to the author’s career-long examination of the damage done by Irish patriarchy as any of the miserable housewives, resentful mothers, and abused girls who dominate critical analyses of her work. Unlike the many admirable nun characters in O’Brien’s fiction, the women in this study are not consciously renouncing society or deliberately retreating from the world. While they can be vulnerable characters who risk disapproval and even violence, they can also offer alternative models of Irish womanhood, subtle and complex, alternatives not always recognised when the narrator is a young girl and sometimes appreciated too late by more mature narrators and characters. Full article

Emerging adults who are students (EAS) face challenges balancing academic demands with early career development in a competitive labour market. Career and vocational interventions (CVIs) aim to support this transition by improving employability, academic outcomes, career self-efficacy, and mental health protective factors. This systematic review assesses the effectiveness of CVIs compared with standard approaches in improving employment-related outcomes for EAS, following Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. Multiple databases were searched for studies published between 2018 and May 2025. Three independent reviewers screened abstracts and full texts in duplicate. Eligible studies were primary research evaluating CVIs for students aged 12–25 yrs and reporting employment-related outcomes. Thirty-one moderate- to low-quality studies examining middle school, high school, and university students were included from an initial 5765 records. CVIs were typically multi-component, combining training, school- or work-based learning, and additional supports. Overall, CVIs were associated with improved career readiness, academic outcomes, employment, resilience, and career adaptability. However, some studies reported lower employment rates and income for women and students with disabilities compared with men and peers without disabilities. These findings suggest that CVIs can support school-to-work transitions but underscore the need for tailored, integrated approaches, and higher-quality longitudinal research to guide policy and practice. Full article

Background/Objectives: Culturally responsive care requires both intercultural communication competence (ICC) and empathy; however, these constructs are often examined separately in nursing research. This study aimed to (i) describe nurses’ ICC and empathy levels, (ii) test the association between ICC and empathy, and (iii) examine group differences by selected demographic and professional variables. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional correlational design was conducted with 300 nurses recruited from state and private hospitals. ICC was measured using the Arasaratnam Intercultural Communication Competence Scale (cognitive, affective, and total), and empathy was assessed using the 18-item Jefferson Scale of Empathy (compassionate care, perspective taking, standing in the patient’s shoes, and total). Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVAs with Scheffé post hoc tests (α = 0.05). Results: Both ICC and empathy were above the scale midpoint. Cognitive ICC (M = 4.71, SD = 1.42) exceeded affective ICC (M = 4.35, SD = 1.34), and total empathy was high (M = 4.50, SD = 0.90), with compassionate care as the highest subscale (M = 4.60, SD = 1.10). ICC total was moderately correlated with total empathy (r = 0.607, p < 0.05); affective ICC correlated with compassionate care (r = 0.455) and perspective taking (r = 0.493). Male nurses reported higher ICC than female nurses (p < 0.05), while empathy did not differ by gender. Younger nurses (20–29) scored higher in ICC and empathy than older groups, and nurses with ≥28 years of experience also showed elevated levels. Nurses who willingly chose nursing had higher ICC and empathy across dimensions (all p < 0.001). Hospital type showed minimal differences except for “standing in the patient’s shoes” (private > state, p = 0.04). Conclusions: ICC and empathy were generally high and interrelated among nurses, with meaningful variation across workforce characteristics. Training should emphasize experiential and reflective approaches to strengthen affective ICC and perspective taking, while organizational strategies should foster intrinsic motivation and support professional development across career stages. Full article

This study aimed to explore athletes’ experiences of transitioning out of sport following spinal cord injury (SCI). Using a multiple-case study design, three former nondisabled competitive athletes participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The participants’ interview responses were informed by quantitative measure data collected prior to the interviews using the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Social Support Questionnaire-6, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that participants experienced a range of cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral influences during the transition process. These influences contributed to outcome-related appraisals of post-SCI transition. Balanced self-identity, adaptive sport participation, and peer-mentor relationships were common factors influencing athletes’ transition with spinal cord injury. The results partially support the conceptual model of adaptation to career transition and extend it to account for athletes’ experiences following SCI. The results also benefit rehabilitation professionals and athletes with spinal cord injury by providing insight into psychosocial factors and resources that may influence the transition experience. Full article

This study explored how smart governance can foster city demographic sustainability by shaping youth retention intention in developed cities. In the case of Busan, South Korea, a structural model was constructed and tested to link the dimensions of perceived value of smart governance (PV)—including Accessibility and Efficiency of Public Services (PV-A), Transparency and Information Accessibility of Governance (PV-T), Participation and Responsiveness (PV-P), Career Development and Innovation Support (PV-C), and Contribution to Urban Quality of Life (PV-Q)—with perceived demographic sustainability (PDS) and youth retention intention (YRI). On the basis of 939 valid questionnaires, confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation model were used to test the measurement validity, model fitting, and mediating effects. Consequently, all the dimensions of smart governance had a positive effect on youth retention intention (YRI), with all path coefficients statistically significant at p < 0.001, and perceived demographic sustainability (PDS) partially mediated the effects of each dimension on youth retention intention (YRI), with indirect effects significant at p < 0.05. Among the dimensions, PV-T had the strongest effect, with a standardized coefficient of β = 0.283 at p < 0.001, followed by PV-P (β = 0.185, p < 0.001) and PV-Q (β = 0.167, p < 0.001), while PV-A and PV-C showed comparatively weaker but still statistically significant effects. In view of governance orientation and cognitive mechanism, this study provides empirical support for demographic sustainability design in smart cities. Full article

Elite and high-performance sport is frequently framed as an individual or coach–athlete endeavor, obscuring the broader family systems that sustain athletic careers. Recent scholarship has begun to document the central role of wives and partners within athletic family systems, highlighting the extensive emotional, domestic, logistical, and identity-related labor they perform to support athletic participation and success. Despite its centrality, this labor remains largely invisible within sport science research, organizational policy, and athlete support structures. Drawing on feminist theories of care and family system theory, this narrative review synthesizes interdisciplinary literature examining the unpaid and unrecognized labor of women partners, also commonly referred to as the wives and girlfriends (WAGs), across athletic career stages. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed. Full article

In his swan song A Tale of the Wind (1988), Joris Ivens undertakes the seemingly impossible task of capturing the invisible—the wind—on film. At the same time, the film looks back over the director’s own career, in a spirit that is at once self-reflective and youthful. Set mainly in China, it functions both as an allegory of the wind and as a search for a middle ground between realism and more poetic approaches to cinema. This article examines the film through the lenses of self-reflexivity, the cinematic portrayal of old age, and the relation between life and death. It first delves into Stanley Cavell’s ontological understanding of self-reflexivity, before examining how this self-reflexivity unfolds in A Tale of the Wind. In this regard, it analyses the relationship between technique and magic, the search for a “theory of cinema”, and the importance of imagination and childhood. Taking into consideration the Deleuzian correlation between face and landscape and the notion of “any space whatever”, the article concludes by analysing old age through its marks and gestures: wrinkles, laughter, waiting, and searching—elements that contribute decisively to the film’s self-reflexivity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Urology residency training widely varies across countries, and evidence comparing residents’ experiences at an international level is limited. This study reports the results of an international survey of urology residents from different countries worldwide, aiming to characterize training environments, educational exposure, and trainee expectations across diverse healthcare systems. Methods: A 39-item online survey was administered to urology residents during the Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU) Regional Meeting (Florence, November 2024), assessing demographics, training exposure, educational resources, workload, satisfaction, and career perspectives. The results were compared between trainees at different postgraduate years (PGYs) to explore associations for key outcomes. Results: Overall, 208 urology residents from 21 countries completed the survey. Most residents were actively involved in research (76.4%), although confidence in independent scientific production was moderate (significantly lower among junior trainees). Surgical exposure increased with PGY, with good experience in endoscopy but limited hands-on exposure and expected autonomy in laparoscopic, robotic, and major open surgery. Despite high overall satisfaction with urology, residents described heavy workloads, inconsistent access to structured teaching and international fellowships, and a long-term shift in career expectations toward private practice. Conclusions: Urology residents worldwide report high engagement in research, strong satisfaction with their specialty choice, and interest in international mobility. Nonetheless, persistent disparities in surgical exposure, research confidence, workload, and gender representation highlight the need for competency-based curricula, structured mentorship, and improved training organization to promote equitable and high-quality urology education globally. Full article

The main purpose of the current study is to investigate how the beliefs and values of Alevism are transmitted to young people in the city and to examine the problems that arise in the process, drawing on the daily life experiences and perspectives of Alevi dedes (religious guides). This study primarily examines the difficulties that dedes encounter in transmitting Alevi beliefs and values to young people in urban settings, as well as the innovative methods they develop to address these challenges. The present study used a phenomenological design to answer the research question. Furthermore, the interview technique was preferred to collect research data, and semi-structured interview questions were asked to dedes. Sixteen Alevi dedes residing in Eskişehir, Ankara, Afyon, and Kütahya provinces in Türkiye were selected as the study sample. The findings show that young people’s participation in cem ceremonies declines due to the city’s intense work pace, their desire to pursue education and careers, and their fear of exclusion. Despite these challenges, dedes strive to ease the conditions for participation in cem ceremonies and to shorten their duration, to transmit Alevi beliefs and values to young people, and to increase their participation in cem ceremonies. Full article