Search Results (509)

Freedom and choice are often presented as benefits of transnational higher education, but participants in this study also described freedom as something they had to learn to manage. This article examines that tension through a qualitative case study of one Sino-British university. It draws on 12 Chinese-language semi-structured interviews analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, together with a separate qualitative analysis of public institutional materials. Participants valued having room to make their own decisions, although some recalled early uncertainty when direct supervision was reduced. Competition did not disappear; it became harder to read and extended beyond grades to internships, research experience, postgraduate applications and employment. Participants generally knew that support existed, but it often became useful only after they recognised a problem and asked for help. Their accounts therefore described academic, linguistic, relational and career self-management. Several participants also described using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to understand course content, translate material and prepare for assessment, although AI-related material was uneven across the interviews and included concerns about accuracy, disciplinary fit and independent judgement. We use institutionalised autonomy to describe how arrangements that widen discretion can also shift planning, help seeking and risk judgement towards students. The concept is offered as a context-specific specification of responsibilisation rather than a general theory. This single case is not statistically representative, but it identifies a mechanism that can be examined in other transnational settings. Full article

Dog-assisted services are employed in healthcare, educational, social-care, and community settings, yet systems for preparing and protecting therapy dogs remain unevenly developed. This narrative review synthesises empirical, conceptual, and governance literature on therapy dog preparation in selected European contexts and the United States. Searches were conducted across academic databases, specialist repositories, and grey-literature sources, with evidence organised thematically around governance, candidate selection, training, handler competency, welfare monitoring, health and zoonotic risk management, and career lifecycle management. The synthesis shows that therapy dog governance remains fragmented, with international guidance, voluntary certification systems, national guideline frameworks, and legally embedded models differing in scope, enforceability, welfare safeguards, handler requirements, and re-evaluation. Across preparation domains, the review identifies a need to move beyond dog-level pass–fail certification toward assessment of the human–dog team within specific intervention contexts. Reward-based and consent-oriented preparation, multimodal welfare monitoring, handler stress recognition, veterinary screening, infection control procedures, workload regulation, and retirement planning emerge as central but inconsistently standardised requirements. The review proposes a tiered lifecycle framework conceptualising therapy dog readiness as a dynamic, welfare-centred, context-dependent process from selection through active service and retirement. Future research should prioritise longitudinal welfare assessment, validated selection and handler competency tools, comparative governance evaluation, positive welfare indicators, and transparent reporting of preparation variables. Full article

Background: The purpose of this paper is to describe lessons learned from a clinical program that was developed to serve adolescents who experienced ABI in childhood during their transition to adulthood by providing insights to achieve good health and assessment of needs in both healthcare and educational/career areas. Methods: Participatory Action Research methods were utilized for program development by collaborating with focus groups of teen participants and stakeholders following each year. Activities were devised based on best practices for cognitive rehabilitation, direct instruction, and practice of cognitive and metacognitive strategies, technology use, peer coaches and incorporation of multiple stakeholders, including family members. Results: We learned the importance of technology utilization, completing surveys of vocational interests, peer coaches, and post program follow-up to better understand both healthcare and career needs of adolescents who experienced TBI and are transitioning to adulthood. Conclusions: Adolescents who experience a childhood ABI benefit from education about the injury effects, technology use for self-management, peer coaches and connection to both healthcare and career opportunities following high school graduation. Full article

Advances in healthcare have led to substantial growth in the global population of cancer survivors, yet young adult cancer survivors (YACS) aged 18–39 years remain an underrepresented population in cancer survivorship research. This review examines the health challenges and psychosocial factors that shape nutritional status in YACS, with the aim of informing age-appropriate nutritional care. YACS face significant financial and psychosocial demands unique to this life stage, balancing education, early careers and family responsibilities. They report greater unmet nutritional and health needs than other age cohorts, in addition to concerns regarding long-term side effects, financial strain, fear of cancer recurrence and increased responsibility for managing their own care. Cancer treatment can cause nutrition impact symptoms (e.g., nausea, taste changes, fatigue, dysphagia and gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances) that may persist for years, and YACS are vulnerable to late effects such as endocrine dysfunction, cardiometabolic disease, chronic pain and osteoporosis, all of which can be influenced by diet. Poor dietary patterns have been observed in YACS, indicating low intakes of fruits, vegetables, fibre and dairy, and higher consumption of saturated fat, sodium and processed foods. This narrative review evaluated fourteen nutritional intervention studies targeting YACS aged 18–39. Most existing interventions demonstrate minimal recruitment and retention rates, small sample sizes, and a reliance on self-report methods rather than objective nutritional measures. These limitations highlight the need for a deeper understanding of YACS’ specific nutritional needs and more effective strategies to engage this cohort. Future research should prioritise larger, more representative samples, incorporate objective nutritional and clinical measures, and explicitly address psychosocial and age-related barriers to healthy eating in young adulthood. Full article

In aging societies, securing a stable long-term care workforce is a priority, yet workforce policies centered on financial incentives have demonstrated limited effectiveness. Drawing on the sustainable-careers perspective as an analytical lens, this study re-examines high-commitment human resource management (HCHRM), grounded in ability–motivation–opportunity (AMO) theory, by investigating how it relates to the work attitudes and work role performance of long-term care workers, with work–life balance (WLB) support incorporated as an opportunity-enhancing practice. Data of 875 full-time care workers from 130 establishments in Japan were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Opportunity-enhancing practices (WLB support and autonomous team management) were positively associated with affective commitment, and coworker exchange (CWX) was favorably associated with all outcomes. Cross-level analyses indicated that higher WLB support was associated with a stronger relationship between CWX and both lower turnover intention and greater proficiency behavior, whereas higher autonomous team management was associated with a stronger CWX–adaptive-proactive behavior relationship. Interpreted through a sustainable-careers lens, these findings position WLB support as an opportunity-enhancing practice within AMO theory and indicate that it may operate synergistically with workplace relationships to support care workers’ attitudes and performance. Full article

Research exploring the relationship between emotional intelligence and workplace outcomes is predominantly variable-centered and treats the dimensions of emotional–social competencies as separate from one another, thereby losing sight of the intra-individual interplay of these competencies and the potential heterogeneity of their effects. This study examines teachers’ emotional–social intelligence using a person-centered approach. Using a sample of 587 Hungarian teachers from 26 public education institutions, we conducted latent profile analysis based on Bar-On’s five composites and then used unbiased three-step procedures (BCH; categorical BCH) to examine the antecedents of profile membership, as well as perceptions of school organizational climate and dominant conflict management style. Four distinct profiles emerged, primarily differing at the global level—a uniformly low profile (12%), a medium-low profile (25%), a dominant, balanced medium-high profile (53%), and a uniformly high profile (9%). Participants with higher profiles perceived the school’s organizational climate as more supportive (η² = 0.07) and exhibited more adaptive conflict management patterns (less avoidance, more problem-solving; χ²(12) = 37.24, p < .001). A compositional (log-ratio) reanalysis of the complete conflict-mode profiles, reported as the primary conflict analysis, showed that the relative weight of problem-solving rises across profiles and plateaus between the modal and the highest profile, that avoidance declines with profile elevation, and that an apparent surplus of accommodating in the highest profile was an artifact of dominant-style coding rather than an indication of a broader repertoire. At the same time, profile membership was essentially independent of job position, career stage, and gender, and the relationships with outcomes were of modest to moderate strength. The results extend person-centered, profile-based intelligence research to the emotional–social domain and identify promising directions for research on teacher professional development. Full article

Equine testicular disorders represent a diverse group of conditions that impact the longevity of a stallion’s breeding career. Stud farm veterinarians should be familiar with the variety of clinical presentations and diagnostic options for these conditions. This retrospective case series reports 57 cases of testicular abnormalities in stallions and donkeys presented to the clinic for further diagnostics and treatment. These disorders included neoplasia (three unilateral and one bilateral seminoma; two Sertoli cell tumors; two Leydig cell tumors; and one malignant mixed sex cord–stromal tumor), six cases of testicular hypoplasia and disorders of sexual development (DSDs), twenty-four cases of cryptorchidism with compensatory hypertrophy/hyperplasia, and two cases of monorchidism. Among the monorchid horses, one of these involved an abdominal retained testicle with a concurrent Leydig cell tumor, whereas the second presented a normally scrotal testis. Additional diagnoses consisted of testicular degeneration, including suspected anabolic steroid-induced hypogonadism, spermatic cord torsion, hydroceles, periorchitis, scrotal sarcoid associated with severe testicular degeneration, parasitic orchitis and periorchitis associated with Strongylus vulgaris and Setaria equina, one infectious epididymitis with orchitis in a donkey, and one case of ectopic adrenal cortical tissue within the testicular parenchyma. Rarely observed disorders included cystic ectasia of the rete testis in a cryptorchid testis and ischemic necrosis following failed laparoscopic castration without orchidectomy. This case series reviews the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic techniques, and outcomes of various testicular diseases, providing a guide to facilitate case management in private practice. Additionally, it offers histopathologic descriptions of most cases, which are often missing from routine diagnostics but are crucial for definitive diagnosis. These findings demonstrate that horse testicular diseases encompass a wide range of neoplastic, developmental, degenerative, infectious, and parasitic conditions that can coexist and often go unnoticed until they progress. Full article

Objective: Intertemporal decision-making ability refers to an individual’s capacity to evaluate and integrate temporally distributed outcomes, regulate goal-directed behavior, and construct future representations in intertemporal choice contexts. This construct reflects a core psychological processing capacity rather than a mere preference for specific choice outcomes. It plays a critical role in employees’ long-term performance management, career development, and self-regulation. However, existing research lacks standardized measurement instruments that directly assess intertemporal decision-making ability among employee populations. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and validate a structurally clear, reliable, and valid scale of employees’ intertemporal decision-making ability applicable to Chinese organizational contexts. Methods: Using a sample of full-time employees from China, this study developed the scale based on a three-process framework of intertemporal decision making, encompassing three core psychological mechanisms: cognitive control, value evaluation, and future representation. Exploratory factor analysis (N = 433) and confirmatory factor analysis (N = 281) were conducted to examine the scale’s factor structure. Impulsivity and job autonomy were employed as criterion variables to assess criterion-related validity. Results: The findings supported a three-factor structure comprising career executive control, long-term career reward trade-off, and career future representation. The final scale included 14 items. The Employee Intertemporal Decision-Making Ability Scale demonstrated good internal consistency and stable structural validity at both the overall and dimensional levels. In addition, intertemporal decision-making ability was significantly negatively correlated with impulsivity and significantly positively correlated with job autonomy, providing support for criterion-related validity. Conclusions: The Employee Intertemporal Decision-Making Ability Scale developed in this study demonstrates satisfactory reliability and validity and can serve as an instrument for assessing employees’ intertemporal decision-making ability. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study examined the relationships among job satisfaction, affective organizational commitment, career engagement, and quiet quitting in healthcare workers. Specifically, we tested a moderated mediation model in which affective organizational commitment mediated the relationship between job satisfaction and quiet quitting and career engagement moderated this indirect effect. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected online between April and May 2024 from 373 employees of public and private healthcare institutions in Istanbul, Türkiye. Participants completed validated measures of the four constructs. We tested mediation and moderation with SPSS 26.0 and the Hayes PROCESS macro (Model 14). Results: Job satisfaction correlated positively with affective organizational commitment and strongly and negatively with quiet quitting. Quiet quitting was higher among women (d = 0.42); nurses descriptively showed the lowest job satisfaction and the highest quiet quitting; however, no pairwise difference in quiet quitting was detected. The conditional indirect association between job satisfaction and quiet quitting through affective organizational commitment became stronger as career engagement increased. Conclusions: Job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment emerged as key correlates of lower quiet quitting. Career engagement amplified rather than buffered the role of affective organizational commitment: commitment was most strongly associated with lower quiet quitting among highly career-engaged employees, whereas low commitment in this group was accompanied by higher quiet quitting. Healthcare managers may consider strategies that strengthen employee commitment while supporting career development. Full article

Background: Acute sore throat (pharyngitis) accounts for 10–30% of ambulatory visits annually. Bacterial etiology, primarily Group A Streptococcus, is confirmed in only 20–34% of cases, and inappropriate antibiotic administration remains frequent, contributing to antimicrobial resistance. Community pharmacists play a key role in symptomatic management and stewardship, but real-world practices remain underexplored. Methods: A 16-item online questionnaire surveyed 629 Italian community pharmacists via professional networks, covering demographics, diagnostic tools, symptom assessment, treatment preferences, and follow-up. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and interpreted within a multidisciplinary expert framework. Results: Italian community pharmacists (n = 629), predominantly mid-career and experienced individuals, prioritize targeted symptom questioning (flu-like signs (59.96%), fever (48.73%), pain intensity (49.64%)) and medical referral over formal diagnostic tools like the Centor criteria (unused in 53.66% of cases). A total of 46.74% report performing a Strep A test in fewer than 20% of patients. Topical sprays (83.33%) and lozenges (44.69%), especially containing flurbiprofen (94.19%), dominate recommendations, followed by systemic analgesics (45.79%). For mild cases, anti-inflammatory/analgesic sprays/lozenges (35.42%) and antiseptic lozenges (35.61%) dominate, while in severe cases, drugs with anti-inflammatory or analgesic effects are often preferred (72.47%). Most pharmacists request a follow-up (73.22%). Conclusions: Italian community pharmacists report a predominantly topical-first approach focused on symptomatic treatment and referral when appropriate. Diagnostic gaps and inconsistent follow-up represent actionable targets. The findings inform training outputs prioritizing simplified triage, expanded symptom checklists, spray/lozenge optimization, and 3–5-day call-backs. This work aims to promote pharmacists’ antimicrobial stewardship to reduce antibiotic use while enhancing patient-centred sore throat care in Italy’s pharmacy network. Full article

This study developed a web-based Alumni Information Management System in a state university to centralize alumni data, enhance networking opportunities, and support career development. Designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, the AIMS allows alumni to easily update their personal profiles, specify job preferences, and upload resumes. The system’s design is informed by frameworks such as the Information Systems Success Model and UTAUT, ensuring high usability and acceptance. The Alumni Information Management System (AIMS) effectively enhances communication between the institution and its alumni. Centralizing alumni information has demonstrably improved engagement, streamlined networking, and empowered alumni to identify relevant career opportunities through features like job alerts, integrated application tools, and an intuitive interface. These features are effective in strengthening the bond between alumni and the institution, ultimately fostering enhanced career support and expanded networking possibilities. This research identifies and addresses a previously unrecognized need specific to state university alumni. While existing studies contribute valuable insights to alumni engagement and career support, a research gap exists regarding the integration of these services within a tailored platform for state university alumni. This study’s system offers a practical and scalable solution for universities facing similar challenges. Full article

The increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into organizational processes has accelerated the adoption of algorithmic management, reshaping work structures across labor-intensive service organizations. However, empirical evidence remains limited regarding the simultaneous control-oriented and developmental dimensions of AI-enabled management systems. This study examines how algorithmic control and AI-supported skill development influence perceived autonomy and career security among employees in hospitality organizations. Data were collected from 441 employees working in hotel organizations in Bavaria, Germany. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), bootstrapped mediation analysis, and hierarchical regression. The results suggest that control-oriented and developmental dimensions of AI are associated with different aspects of employees’ work experiences. Algorithmic control was negatively associated with perceived autonomy, whereas AI-supported skill development was positively associated with both perceived autonomy and career security. Perceived autonomy did not mediate the relationships between AI-related workplace conditions and career security, and digital literacy did not moderate the relationship between algorithmic control and perceived autonomy. The study contributes to research on algorithmic management and AI-enabled workplaces by highlighting the importance of analytically distinguishing between the control-oriented and developmental dimensions of AI when examining the organizational implications of AI-enabled management. Full article

Background: Moral distress is a significant concern in nursing, particularly among newly graduated registered nurses transitioning into professional practice. Limited experience, high workloads, and exposure to ethically challenging situations may negatively affect well-being and contribute to early-career attrition. Evidence on how NGRNs experience and manage moral distress globally and in Saudi Arabia remains limited, and the role of healthcare organisational factors in shaping this phenomenon is not yet well understood. Aim: This study aims to examine the experiences of NGRNs regarding moral distress in adult tertiary care hospitals in Saudi Arabia, focusing on contributing factors, coping strategies, and organisational influences. Methods: A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design will be used. In the quantitative phase, NGRNs will complete the Measure of Moral Distress—Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP) and a demographic questionnaire. Data will be analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to assess levels of moral distress and associations with intention to leave. The qualitative phase will involve semi-structured interviews with NGRNs and focus groups with nursing managers, which will be analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Integration will occur at the data collection and interpretation stages. The study is guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. Ethical approval has been obtained from Queen’s University Belfast and the Najran Health Cluster. Expected Impact: The study is expected to provide a comprehensive understanding of moral distress among NGRNs and inform the development of targeted organisational strategies to support Registered Nurse wellbeing, retention, and quality of care. Full article

Informal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning settings can provide early and accessible opportunities for students who have been historically underrepresented in computing to engage with cybersecurity concepts and emerging technologies. This one-group pretest-posttest mixed-methods study examined a week-long, GenAI-integrated informal cybersecurity summer camp for 33 underrepresented and underserved racial and ethnic minority (UUREM) middle school girls. The study investigated pre-post patterns in perceived cybersecurity knowledge, domain-specific self-efficacy, interest, utility value, career aspirations, and selected AI-literacy practices. Quantitative findings showed the strongest support for increases in perceived cybersecurity knowledge and cyber threat identification self-efficacy, both of which remained significant after Holm adjustment for multiple comparisons. Networking and web management self-efficacy showed preliminary unadjusted increases, whereas overall cybersecurity interest, enjoyment and intent to pursue, utility value, career aspirations, and the remaining self-efficacy domains did not show statistically significant differences. Qualitative observations documented activity-specific engagement, collaborative discussion of cybersecurity ideas, and mentor-mediated GenAI practices such as prompt development, output comparison, and script revision. These findings suggest that informal GenAI-integrated cybersecurity programs may support selected aspects of perceived learning and cybersecurity self-efficacy, while highlighting the need for more rigorous designs, validated AI-literacy measures, and longer-term follow-up. Full article

Background: Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is used in medical education. Its impact in basic medical sciences remains unexplored, namely considering the perspectives of all the populations involved: students, undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs), and faculty members. We evaluated the educational impact of a PAL programme in Histology and Embryology in a medical course at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP). Methods: A cross-sectional convergent mixed-methods study was conducted in the Histology and Embryology course. Tailored online questionnaires comprising Likert-type items and open-ended questions were replied to by students attending theoretical–practical classes with UTAs, the UTAs, and the professors. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Students’ theoretical–practical examination scores were compared between classes with and without UTAs using the Mann–Whitney U test, and effect size (r) was calculated to estimate the magnitude of differences observed. Results: Students (n = 190) reported highly positive perceptions regarding the creation of a more approachable learning environment, clarification of doubts, and identification of histological structures and strongly recommended the extension of UTAs to other courses of the medical school. UTAs (n = 17) described gains in disciplinary understanding, broader perspectives on the medical curriculum, communication and public-speaking skills, teamwork, leadership, self-confidence, and interest in academic careers. Professors (n = 6) valued PAL for improving individual support, facilitating time management, and contributing to UTA training, while highlighting the need for structured pedagogical preparation. Students attending classes with UTAs achieved significantly higher theoretical–practical examination scores (p = 0.04; effect size r = 0.12). Conclusions: PAL was perceived as highly beneficial by all groups involved in the project, enhancing the learning environment, supporting knowledge consolidation, and developing pedagogical and interpersonal skills. A grade analysis indicated that PAL was associated with improved academic performance. These findings reinforce the value of integrating PAL initiatives into preclinical medical education while highlighting the importance of sustained tutor preparation and supervision. Full article