Search Results (136)

Oral health in older adults is a critical component of overall well-being requiring integrated, interdisciplinary approaches to address its complex interplay of medical, functional, and psychosocial challenges. The aim of this is to examine strategies to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration among dental professionals, physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and caregivers to improve oral health outcomes in aging populations. Older adults commonly face dental problems such as periodontal disease which can be exacerbated by polypharmacy, systemic diseases, and barriers to accessing care. These multifaceted needs necessitate coordinated efforts across dentistry, geriatric medicine, nursing, and social support systems. Strategies of effective interdisciplinary care include: (1) Medical-dental integration, enabling physicians to screen for oral health issues during routine assessments; (2) Nursing and caregiver engagement in daily oral hygiene support and early problem identification; (3) Nutritional interventions tailored to address chewing difficulties and prevent malnutrition; (4) Social support systems to improve access to affordable care; and (5) Technology-driven solutions such as tele-dentistry to enhance communication, early detection, and care coordination. Despite these opportunities, systemic barriers persist, including fragmented healthcare systems, financial constraints, workforce shortages, cultural biases, and technological gaps. Progress requires commitment from policymakers, healthcare institutions, and health care professionals to prioritize geriatric oral health as a public health imperative. In conclusion, interdisciplinary collaboration enhances older adults’ oral-systemic health via cross-sector policies and healthcare workforce education. Implementing these strategies can mitigate oral health disparities, reduce the burden of chronic diseases, and improve quality of life for aging populations through holistic, patient-centered care. Full article

Although communication quality is widely recognized as a catalyst for workplace innovation, existing research seldom integrates communication quality, trust in leadership, and organizational commitment within a single explanatory framework, particularly in team-based enterprises operating in emerging economies. This study examines how communication quality fosters employee innovation through the sequential mediating roles of trust in leadership and organizational commitment, emphasizing its contribution to sustainable enterprise performance. Rooted in Social Exchange Theory (SET), the study illustrates how transparent, reciprocal, and supportive communication enhances relational trust, strengthens employees’ emotional attachment to their organizations, and creates a climate conducive to creativity and collaborative problem-solving. A quantitative design was employed using data from employees engaged in innovation-driven projects within medium- and large-sized software firms in Turkey’s ICT sector. A total of 339 valid responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. The findings demonstrate that communication quality directly promotes employee innovation and indirectly strengthens innovation through trust in leadership and organizational commitment as sequential mediators. Additionally, organizational commitment amplifies the influence of communication quality on innovation, indicating that committed employees more effectively translate constructive communication into innovative behaviors. These results underscore the strategic importance of communicative clarity, relational leadership, and commitment-building practices in shaping resilient, innovation-oriented teams. The study advances SET by identifying trust and commitment as key relational mechanisms through which communication quality drives innovation, offering theoretical enrichment and practical guidance for sustainable human resource management and team-based organizational development. Full article

A special class of complex adaptive systems—biological and social—thrive not by passively accumulating patterns, but by engineering coherence, i.e., the deliberate alignment of prior knowledge, real-time updates, and teleonomic purposes. By contrast, today’s AI stacks—Large Language Models (LLMs) wrapped in agentic toolchains—remain rooted in a Turing-paradigm architecture: statistical world models (opaque weights) bolted onto brittle, imperative workflows. They excel at pattern completion, but they externalize governance, memory, and purpose, thereby accumulating coherence debt—a structural fragility manifested as hallucinations, shallow and siloed memory, ad hoc guardrails, and costly human oversight. The shortcoming of current AI relative to human-like intelligence is therefore less about raw performance or scaling, and more about an architectural limitation: knowledge is treated as an after-the-fact annotation on computation, rather than as an organizing substrate that shapes computation. This paper introduces Mindful Machines, a computational paradigm that operationalizes coherence as an architectural property rather than an emergent afterthought. A Mindful Machine is specified by a Digital Genome (encoding purposes, constraints, and knowledge structures) and orchestrated by an Autopoietic and Meta-Cognitive Operating System (AMOS) that runs a continuous Discover–Reflect–Apply–Share (D-R-A-S) loop. Instead of a static model embedded in a one-shot ML pipeline or deep learning neural network, the architecture separates (1) a structural knowledge layer (Digital Genome and knowledge graphs), (2) an autopoietic control plane (health checks, rollback, and self-repair), and (3) meta-cognitive governance (critique-then-commit gates, audit trails, and policy enforcement). We validate this approach on the classic Credit Default Prediction problem by comparing a traditional, static Logistic Regression pipeline (monolithic training, fixed features, external scripting for deployment) with a distributed Mindful Machine implementation whose components can reconfigure logic, update rules, and migrate workloads at runtime. The Mindful Machine not only matches the predictive task, but also achieves autopoiesis (self-healing services and live schema evolution), explainability (causal, event-driven audit trails), and dynamic adaptation (real-time logic and threshold switching driven by knowledge constraints), thereby reducing the coherence debt that characterizes contemporary ML- and LLM-centric AI architectures. The case study demonstrates “a hybrid, runtime-switchable combination of machine learning and rule-based simulation, orchestrated by AMOS under knowledge and policy constraints”. Full article

Background/Objectives: Identifying patients with palliative care needs can be challenging in clinical practice. This study reports on the tailoring and evaluation of a minimally invasive intervention (MINI) to support early planning of palliative care in acute hospitals. The MINI includes the Surprise Question (SQ) and the Supportive and Palliative Care Indicators Tool (SPICT^TM) for health and social care professionals, as well as a patient Question Prompt Sheet. Methods: A multi-method intervention study was conducted, including interviews and a pre–post survey of professionals on the development, implementation, and experiences with MINI. Interview data were analyzed inductively and survey data descriptively. Results: Data from 44 participants were included. MINI was generally considered acceptable and relevant, particularly the SQ, which prompted reflection among staff. Following the intervention, a significant improvement was observed in the presentation of regional specialist palliative care services for patients, as well as in the identification of psychosocial problems and their discussion with patients and relatives. While physicians reported increased confidence in initiating end-of-life conversations, other hospital staff showed mixed responses. Reported barriers for implementing MINI included limited time, the COVID-19 pandemic, staff strikes, emotional burden, and unclear responsibilities, indicating a low level of commitment. SPICT use was inconsistent, suggesting low integration into workflows. Interprofessional collaboration improved, particularly with external palliative care providers. Sustainability was hindered by a lack of institutional support, ongoing training, and formal routines. Conclusions: MINI may have the potential to shift the focus away from purely curative approaches. However, to guarantee success, future studies should ensure better alignment between intervention design, implementation and framework conditions. Full article

This paper reveals profound obstacles to sustainable supply chain integration in Industry X.0 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by utilizing a hybrid Fuzzy Delphi-TOPSIS approach and enriching the viewpoints of 102 experts in oil/gas (45%), logistics (30%), government (15%), and academia (10%). The top obstacles are a lack of favorable leadership (Fuzzy Delphi Threshold (FDT), FDT = 0.82) and insufficiency of sustainability professionals (FDT = 0.82), with strategy prioritization training (Rank 1, Closeness Coefficient Index (cci) cci = 0.1255) and employee engagement (Rank 2, cci = 0.1499) being among the most important solutions as opposed to technological solutions. Most importantly, AI-related technologies had a low ranking of seventh place because of their lack of implementation, which proves that human capital enhancement is always prioritized before technological adaptation. The oil/gas industry values AI with respect to regulatory compliance commitments to emissions monitoring, whereas SMEs accentuate the problem of training because of the limited resources available to them, which also indicates the societal relevance of the concept of AI to social entrepreneurship and the blockchain-based transparency and access to green technologies. This study contributes (1) a decision-oriented framework bridging the traditional 2050 vision of the UAE and the realities it faces day to day, (2) empirical insights into the need for cultural principals within governance so as to prevent the so-called paperwork syndrome, and (3) a theoretical advancement that sees AI as an enhancer of human-centric methodologies. The conclusions provide policymakers with knowledge of the importance of the ability to contextualize investments in organizational culture prior to technology implementation in order to provide effective sustainability transitions. Full article

Engineering education in developing countries faces critical challenges that hinder progress toward achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), students entering engineering programs often exhibit significant apprehension toward foundational sciences, creating barriers to developing the technical competencies required for sustainable development. This paper introduces the AI-Integrated Practical Learning in Engineering (AIPLE) Framework, an innovative pedagogical model that synergizes Problem-Based Learning (PBL), hands-on experimentation, and strategic Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration to transform engineering education for sustainability. The AIPLE framework employs a five-stage cyclical process designed to address student apprehension while fostering sustainable engineering mindsets essential for achieving SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). This study, grounded in qualitative surveys of engineering instructors at Université Loyola du Congo (ULC), demonstrates how the framework addresses pedagogical limitations while building technical competency and sustainability consciousness. The research reveals that traditional didactic methods inadequately prepare students for complex sustainability challenges, while the AIPLE framework’s integration of AI-assisted learning, practical problem-solving, and sustainability-focused projects offers a scalable solution for engineering education transformation in resource-constrained environments. Our findings indicate strong instructor support for PBL methodologies and cautious optimism regarding AI integration, with emphasis on addressing infrastructure and ethical considerations. The AIPLE framework contributes to sustainable development by preparing engineers who are technically competent and committed to creating environmentally responsible, socially inclusive, and economically viable solutions for developing countries. Full article

Active learning strategies and methodologies place the students at the core of the learning process. The objective is to engage students in their own learning through significant activities that involve active participation. These activities are designed to promote collaboration, reflection, and practical application of the knowledge acquired to develop cognitive, social, and emotional competences. These methodologies are of particular interest in STEM disciplines and vocational education, where practice is a key element in the assimilation of theoretical concepts. In this line, a case study is presented where active methodologies have been applied to two groups of Vocational Education and Training in the area of Computer Science to improve interest and commitment. The present study focuses on two groups of first-year students enrolled in the Web Application Design course, one in the Programming subject and the other in the Markup Language subject. Both groups are heterogeneous, composed of young adults with significantly different backgrounds, skills, and motivation. The teaching–learning process is based on active methodologies, such as Project-Based Learning, Design Thinking, Flipped Classroom, or gamification, which are adapted for different subjects in the field of Computer Science. These methodologies facilitate the experimental design and testing of diverse solutions for programming problems, thereby enhancing students’ motivation and interest, while promoting creativity and reflection. The results show an improvement in the interest and commitment of the students in both groups. Despite the fact that less than 50% of students successfully passed in the initial examination, more than 75% students passed after the second-chance examination. The findings have consistently suggested that the implementation of active methodologies leads to significant enhancements in the proficiency, development, motivation, and self-learning capabilities of students, and that these methodologies make students more aware of their learning process. Full article

Addressing global challenges such as climate change and inequality requires convergence competencies that enable learners to devise sustainable solutions. Such competencies have been emphasized in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) fields, but empirical research and assessment tools tailored to Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) remain scarce. This study aimed to develop and validate a self-assessment tool to measure convergence competencies among HASS learners. A three-round Delphi survey with domain experts was conducted to evaluate and refine an initial pool of items. Items with insufficient content validity were revised or deleted, and all retained items achieved a Content Validity Ratio (CVR) of ≥0.800, with most scoring 1.000. The validated instrument was administered to 455 undergraduates participating in a convergence education program. Exploratory factor analysis identified five key dimensions: Convergent Commitment, Future Problem Awareness, Future Efficacy, Convergent Learning, and Multidisciplinary Inclusiveness, explaining 69.72% of the variance. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the model’s goodness-of-fit (χ² (160) = 378.786, RMSEA = 0.054, CFI = 0.952), and the instrument demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.919). The results confirm that the tool is both reliable and valid for diagnosing convergence competencies in HASS contexts, providing a practical framework for interdisciplinary learning and reflective engagement toward sustainable futures. Full article

This paper builds on place theory and the psycho-social approach to the study of perceived residential environmental quality to examine the relationship between environmental perceptions and residential action in the neighborhood. An exploratory study on (N = 185) Italian respondents assessed the role of perceived residential environmental quality (i.e., perceived quality of green areas and perceived maintenance levels within the neighborhood), awareness of neighborhood environmental problems, neighborhood descriptive norms, and place attachment (attachment to the neighborhood) as predictors of self-reported individual residential engagement (engagement in improving the environmental quality of the neighborhood). Likert-type measures of the corresponding constructs were included in a structured questionnaire and used to carry out an online survey. Findings showed problem awareness and descriptive norms to directly predict residential engagement. Problem awareness mediated the relationship between perceived maintenance levels and residential engagement. Place attachment was directly predicted by perceived residential quality (quality of green areas), but did not show an independent predictive power vis-à-vis residential engagement. Results suggest new possible research avenues for modelling the individual commitment to improve the environmental quality of one’s own residential architectural and green environment. Full article

Background/Objectives: Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSDs) carry a debilitating burden of disease which, even after pharmacological and psychological treatment are optimized, remains difficult to fully target. New online-delivered and user-led interventions may provide an appropriate, cost-effective answer to this problem. This study aims to retrieve the currently gathered findings on the efficacy of these interventions across several outcomes, such as symptom severity, social cognition, functioning and others. Methods: A systematic review of the current available literature was conducted. Of 29 potentially relevant articles, 26 were included and assigned at least one of four intervention types: Web-Based Therapy (WBT), Web-Based Psycho-Education (WBP), Online Peer Support (OPS) and Prompt-Based Intervention (PBI). Results: The findings were grouped based on outcome. Of 24 studies evaluating the effects of symptom severity, 14 have achieved statistically significant results, and 10 have not. WBT (such as online-delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, social cognition training and Mindfulness Training) seemed to be the most effective at targeting symptoms. Of 14 studies evaluating functioning, seven achieved significant results, four involving a form of social or neurocognitive training, suggesting a potential pathway towards functional improvements through interventions targeting cognition and motivation. Regarding social cognition, all seven studies measuring the effects of an intervention on this outcome produced significant results, indicating that this outcome lends itself well to remote, online administration. This may be linked with the nature of social cognition exercises, as they are commonly administered through a digital medium (such as pictures, videos and auditory exercises), a delivery method that suits the online-user led model very well. Conclusions: Online user-led interventions show promise as a new way to tackle functional deficits in SSD patients and achieve these improvements through targeting social cognition, a hard-to-reach component of the burden of SSDs which seems to be successfully targetable in a remote, user-led fashion. Symptomatic improvements can also be achievable, through the combination of these interventions with treatment as usual. Full article

Today, businesses operate to maintain their assets sustainably and profitably, but they face resource scarcity and environmental problems. In order to overcome this problem, businesses should focus on environmental, social, and economic development while considering the environment. In this context, green human resource practices and sustainable leadership, which have emerged from green management philosophy, increase the environmental awareness of businesses and support them in protecting resources while also positively affecting many human resource metrics, such as performance and commitment at the business level. In recent years, definitions have been established, and scales have been developed within the scope of green human resource and sustainability leadership research, which has been a subject of interest in the relevant literature. Because studies measuring the effects of green human resource management (HRM) and sustainable leadership at the business level are rare, this work is important as it provides resources for further research. In this context, this research aimed to analyze the effects of green human resource management practices and sustainable leadership on employee commitment. In order to reach a general judgment about a system consisting of a large number of people and find answers to the research questions, the general screening model, which allows for single or relational screenings over the entire system or a group of samples to be taken from it, was selected. The correlational model, a type of quantitative research model, was used to examine the relationships between the variables within the scope of this research. According to the results, the effects of green HRM practices on organizational commitment change significantly through the mediation of sustainable leadership. The findings reveal that, for organizations seeking to foster a sustainable business culture, merely implementing green policies is insufficient; leaders must also embody these practices and motivate their workforce. Such an integrated strategy enhances both ecological sustainability and employee commitment, thereby securing a lasting competitive edge. Full article

Background/Objectives: Child abuse is a devastating problem, and effective interventions are needed. Interventions incorporating social support have been found to be more effective in reducing parental abuse than those that do not. The resolutions approach (RA) emphasizes collaborating with the family’s social network. The present study aims to examine the role of social networks in RA. Methods: This report presents the cases of two families (children aged 8–18) who are alleged to have committed child abuse. A mixed-method study was conducted. Qualitative data based on in-depth interviews, and quantitative data obtained by repeated assessments following a single-case design were integrated. Incidents of child abuse were assessed before treatment, at the end of treatment, and at follow-up, using the Conflict Tactics Scales. An idiosyncratic measurement was administered every fortnight during the intervention. Results: In both families, members acknowledged the value of involving their social network and reported decreased incidents of child abuse. One family succeeded in involving the network, and in this family, aggressive behavior stopped soon after RA started. Results were maintained during follow-up. In the other family, aggression stopped after the baseline period, according to the parents, but not according to their youngest child. Conclusions: Although the involvement of social support is prescribed through the intervention protocol, several challenges hamper its realization. Recommendations are formulated for how to involve social network members in the context of family therapy when child safety is at risk. RA might be a valuable intervention to stop child abuse, but it needs further research. Full article

The social and behavioral sciences have contributed enormously to our understanding of societies and the relationships between individuals within them. Sexual harassment is a universal social problem that is reproduced in different contexts and societies. However, institutions such as universities have made it invisible, contributing to the impunity of harassers and the vulnerability of victims. This has been the case for decades in countries such as Spain. Today, universities are implementing training measures to prevent such behavior. This article analyzes, from a dialogic sociological perspective, one of these interventions in terms of its success and impact on the academic community: the “Training for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence at the University”, implemented by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) between 2021 and 2024. The article defines and analyzes its main characteristics: (1) the contents based on scientific evidence; (2) the human commitment of the trainers; and (3) the dialogue with the solidarity network World MeToo Universities. The article concludes that the positive impact of this pioneering intervention in the academic community constitutes a universal and transferable successful action to overcome gender-based violence in universities. Full article

Social cinema is a cinematographic expression used to denounce current and historical problems, as well as to identify social limits and promote the transformation of society itself. To this end, works included in social cinema depict aspects of reality to critically influence it. The objective of this study is to examine the evolution of social cinema, as well as its scientific, economic and political bases and its main consequences for the general population. Method: This study was conducted by the application of the technique of qualitative research thematic analysis as a procedure in the process of the execution of the scientific task, related to a historical trend study of the research object. The search was carried out in the databases of IMDB and the Culture Ministry of Spain. The end of the dictatorship and the beginning of democracy (1975) was placed as the historical cutting point in the analysis. Various psychosocial variables were used as categories of analysis, including poverty, work, substance use, crime, urban and rural contexts, violence, etc. Results: Spanish social cinema has evolved since its origins in the 1950s as a reflection of Spanish society. These developments, including both progressions and regressions, have been connected with social, political and economic factors. Conclusions: While the shape of Spanish social cinema has changed over time, its themes have remained similar since the origin: poverty, work and hopelessness. The evolution has not been continuous, as it has fluctuated in response to the claims and requests from the context. The Spanish social cinema has reflected topics and images from Spanish society, even when the sociopolitical context avoided them. Finally, the legitimacy of Spanish social cinema is based on its cultural strength and social/political commitment. Full article

Learn to Fly was developed between February 2022 and March 2023 with the goal of fostering greater social participation and intergenerational dialogue around the recognition and solution of pertinent social issues through the development of psychological flexibility and socioemotional competences in children at the start of their academic careers. Based on a participatory methodology and the concepts of the third generation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBTs) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy), the target audience included children of ages 5 and 6 (pre-school and first grade), their teachers, and their families. The Learn to Fly pilot initiative was implemented in eight partner institutions on the Portuguese mainland with the participation of 289 children, their families, and 22 educators. Learn to Fly was evaluated after 12 weeks of implementation using a combination of methodologies, including interviews, focus groups, and pre- and post-tests. Teachers emphasized that the initiative brought families closer to the school, thereby strengthening connections between the school and the community, when analyzing the impact of the project on the school community. Positive changes were observed in the children’s behaviors, particularly with respect to hyperactivity, relationship problems with colleagues, prosocial behavior, socioemotional skills, their perceptions of their participation in various scenarios (their city and country), and intergenerational dialogue with their parents. In addition to the teachers’ preconceived notions about child participation, they became more aware of the possibility of children having a say in decision-making and discovered that the program promoted this aspect. Presently equipped with resources, it is envisaged that teachers trained to implement Learn to Fly will play a significant role in promoting positive child development and social engagement. Full article