Search Results (13,684)

This study investigates the linguistic mechanisms of politeness and conversational implicature in digital classroom interactions at “1 Decembrie 1918” University of Alba Iulia (UAB), Romania. Rather the research adopts a corpus-based approach to analyze five authentic communicative situations extracted from institutional digital platforms (Moodle (version 4.3.2; R Core Team, 2023), Microsoft Teams, and institutional email exchanges) between academic staff and students during 2022–2024. The corpus comprises 247 naturally occurring discourse units. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, the study identifies recurrent patterns of face-threatening acts (FTAs), mitigation strategies, and implicature generation in asynchronous and synchronous digital contexts. The findings reveal that digital mediation creates a distinctive pragmatic register in which participants use compressed politeness strategies, exploit contextual ambiguity, and rely on shared institutional knowledge to convey and decode implicature. Crucially, the study situates its results within the broader framework of the Romanian higher education system, reflecting ongoing tensions between hierarchical academic culture and digitalization imperatives introduced in the post-pandemic educational environment. Recommendations for digital communication literacy training at an institutional level are provided. Full article

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is highly prevalent during adolescence and is associated with a range of emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal vulnerabilities. Although prior research has identified key correlates such as emotion dysregulation, hopelessness, interpersonal distress, and attachment insecurity, these factors have largely been examined in isolation, limiting understanding of how they jointly contribute to NSSI. Methods: The present study examined the network structure of NSSI and associated vulnerability processes in a community sample of 2067 Spanish adolescents (M age = 14.62, SD = 1.80). A regularized partial correlation network (EBICglasso) was estimated, including NSSI frequency and functions, emotion dysregulation, hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and attachment representations. Centrality and network stability were evaluated using standard indices and bootstrapping procedures. Results: The network revealed a differentiated structure of associations. Perceived burdensomeness and intrapersonal NSSI functions emerged as the most influential nodes, whereas emotion dysregulation occupied a key bridging position connecting attachment-related experiences, interpersonal vulnerability, and NSSI processes. In contrast, NSSI frequency and interpersonal functions showed a more peripheral role. Attachment security was negatively associated with core risk variables, consistent with a protective role within the network. Conclusions: Findings suggest that NSSI in adolescence is embedded within a system of interacting emotional and interpersonal processes, structured around the functional meaning of the behavior and key interpersonal appraisals. Emotion dysregulation emerged as a highly connected node linking multiple domains, while attachment was associated with several key variables within the network. These findings suggest potential targets for early identification and intervention, particularly focusing on emotion regulation, perceived burdensomeness, and intrapersonal functions of NSSI. Full article

Community multi-building energy management is a key approach for reducing carbon emissions from the building sector and alleviating peak grid pressure. However, load coupling among buildings and coordinated energy-storage operation make control-policy design highly challenging. To address the limitation of the standard multi-agent proximal policy optimization (MAPPO) algorithm, in which the centralized critic simply concatenates building observations and therefore struggles to model inter-building interactions, this paper proposes an improved MAPPO algorithm with a multi-head-attention-enhanced centralized critic, referred to as a multi-head-attention MAPPO (MHA-MAPPO). Without changing the decentralized execution framework, the proposed method improves the critic network in three aspects. First, a dual-branch gated embedding module is designed to adaptively fuse local building observations and global interaction information. Second, an interaction-attention path is constructed to explicitly capture pairwise dependencies among buildings through multi-head attention. Third, a context-attention path is introduced to extract high-level community-level global features by means of learnable query vectors. These improvements enable the critic to estimate the joint-state value more accurately and provide more reliable advantage estimates for all agents. Experiments in the CityLearn environment show that, compared with the original MAPPO, MHA-MAPPO improves the mean evaluation reward by approximately 19.2%, reduces the reward standard deviation by one order of magnitude, and decreases peak net load and total net load by approximately 15.4% and 35.5%, respectively. The results verify the effectiveness of multi-head attention for coordinated multi-building scheduling. The proposed method provides a useful reference for improving multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms in community energy management. Full article

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a significant public health concern, with disproportionately higher prevalence among sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations compared to cisgender heterosexual individuals. While prior research has examined NSSI and related outcomes in SGM groups, evidence on specific risk and protective factors remains limited. This scoping review aimed to systematically map and synthesize risk and protective factors associated with NSSI in SGM populations. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to 2 February 2026. A total of 43 studies were included, the majority of which were conducted in the United States and employed cross-sectional designs. Data were charted and synthesized using a minority stress-informed socioecological framework. Findings indicate that NSSI is consistently associated with the co-occurrence of minority stress processes and intrapersonal vulnerabilities. Additional risk factors were identified across family, peer, and community domains. Protective factors were less frequently examined but included social support, family connectedness, school safety, and adaptive coping strategies. Overall, the findings suggest that NSSI among SGM populations is best understood as the result of interacting risk processes across multiple ecological levels. These results support a minority stress-informed, multi-level conceptualization of NSSI in SGM individuals and highlight the need for longitudinal research and greater focus on protective factors. Full article

Background/Objectives: Emerging viral zoonoses represent a growing threat to global public health, with most newly emerging infectious diseases originating from animal reservoirs. Recent outbreaks of monkeypox, Ebola virus disease, Marburg virus disease, Rift Valley fever, and avian influenza highlight the capacity of zoonotic viruses to cross species barriers, spread internationally, and generate substantial health, social, and economic consequences. This review examines the ecological, epidemiological, and biological determinants of viral zoonotic emergence and transmission, with particular emphasis on vaccination and outbreak prevention strategies. Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted using a predefined literature search strategy across major scientific databases. Peer-reviewed epidemiological, clinical, and public health publications published between January 2000 and February 2026 were screened and selected according to predefined relevance criteria. Results: The emergence of viral zoonoses is driven by complex interactions among animal reservoirs, environmental and climatic changes, human behavior, and viral adaptation. Although transmission pathways and clinical outcomes differ among pathogens, common determinants of spillover and outbreak amplification were identified. Current evidence supports the importance of integrated surveillance, genomic monitoring, vaccination strategies, and community engagement as key components of preparedness and response. Emerging preventive approaches targeting pathogen transmission, including transmission-blocking strategies and vector-associated microbiota interventions, may provide additional opportunities for disease control. Conclusions: Strengthening preparedness for emerging viral zoonoses requires coordinated One Health approaches integrating human, animal, and environmental health. Future priorities include the development of next-generation vaccines, expansion of digital and genomic surveillance systems, improved equitable access to vaccines, and innovative interventions aimed at reducing zoonotic spillover and interrupting pathogen transmission. Full article

The Arabian honeybee, Apis mellifera jemenitica, is well adapted to the arid and semi-arid conditions of the Arabian Peninsula. However, little is known about the interactions among climatic conditions, Varroa mite, and honeybee viruses affecting A. m. jemenitica colonies. This study investigated the prevalence of Varroa destructor and major honey bee viruses (DWV, BQCV, SBV, CBPV, ABPV, KBV, IAPV and AIV) in A. m. jemenitica colonies located across arid and semi-arid regions of Saudi Arabia. The results revealed a high prevalence of Varroa infestation and DWV in both climatic zones. The other viruses (BQCV, SBV, CBPV, ABPV, KBV, IAPV and AIV) showed significant spatial variation in prevalence across the surveyed regions. Varroa infestation levels were generally low and significantly higher in semi-arid environments compared to arid regions (p < 0.001). Mean regional DWV loads (copies/bee) were consistently low across all A. m. jemenitica colonies (6.8 × 10² to 4.4 × 10³ copies/bee), were positively linked with Varroa infestation levels (R² = 0.63), and demonstrated significant variation among climatic zones (p < 0.001). Virus co-occurrence analysis using Phi (ϕ) coefficients revealed structured viral communities, with several virus pairs exhibiting moderate to strong positive associations. Overall, this study highlights the low DWV loads in A. m. jemenitica colonies, and the impact of climate conditions on Varroa mite–virus interactions in shaping honeybee health under arid and semi-arid conditions. Full article

Business influence increasingly unfolds in platform environments where visibility is ranked, repeated, measured, and monetized. At the same time, many platform interactions have shifted from reciprocal sociality toward creator-centered attention, mediated familiarity, and one-sided attachment. This perspective article develops the concept of parasocial business to explain how business actors convert platform visibility into credibility, trust, advocacy, and commercial value. Drawing on an integrative reading of research on parasociality, platformization, influencer labor, organizational reputation, marketing communication, and creator economies, this paper identifies three linked mechanisms: algorithmic visibility, persona design, and parasocial conversion. The conceptual analysis shows that parasocial business is not simply influencer marketing, personal branding, brand community, or consumer–brand relationship management. Its distinctive feature is the platformed conversion of repeated, persona-based familiarity into business-relevant authority and value. This paper develops the related concept of platformed authority and illustrates it through LinkedIn thought leadership, podcast-based business influence, and B2B expert visibility. This paper contributes to business administration and management research by showing how leadership communication, reputation governance, expert visibility, and organizational influence are increasingly shaped by platform infrastructures and public-facing personae. Full article

Background and Objectives: Low participation rates in exercise programs among older adults highlight the need for theory-driven, biopsychosocial interventions that enhance adherence, self-efficacy, and functional outcomes. Grounded in principles of motor learning and behavioral reinforcement within physiotherapy practice, this study aimed to examine the effect of periodic assessments combined with verbal feedback on functional and psychological outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A pilot RCT was conducted involving 54 individuals aged ≥65 years (53 women and 1 man), recruited from senior community centers. Participants were randomly allocated to an intervention group (periodic assessment and verbal feedback; n = 27) or a control group (n = 27). Both groups participated in an identical 12-week structured exercise program, delivered twice weekly, focusing on balance, gait, and lower-limb functional training. An intention-to-treat approach was applied. Data were analyzed using Linear Mixed Models, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Significant group × time interactions were observed in favor of the intervention group for key kinesiology-related functional outcomes, including the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB; p < 0.001), Timed Up and Go test (TUG; p = 0.011), and Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC; p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were identified between groups for the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire–2 (BREQ-2; p = 0.164) and the Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale (ESE; p = 0.108), indicating that the primary psychological outcome (ESE) was not confirmed. However, both ESE and BREQ-2 demonstrated significant baseline differences favoring the intervention group, and, therefore, these findings should be interpreted with caution despite statistical adjustment. Conclusions: Periodic assessments followed by verbal feedback appear to selectively improve the functional effectiveness of structured exercise programs in older women, particularly physical performance, functional mobility, and balance confidence, with no significant differential effect on the primary psychological outcome (ESE; group × time interaction: p = 0.108). These findings support assessment-informed and feedback-driven physiotherapy strategies as a promising adjunct to exercise programs in older adults, with potential implications for optimizing functional outcomes within applied kinesiology and rehabilitation contexts. Full article

Direct sea discharge outlets served as critical conduits for urban sewage and industrial wastewater disposal, playing dual roles as pollutant dilution channels and hotspots for pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes. Traditional monitoring approaches relying on physicochemical parameters and fecal indicator bacteria failed to capture the latent and cumulative risks posed by complex microbial communities. In this review, a holistic microbiome perspective was adopted to systematically synthesize current knowledge on the bacterial community dynamics, assembly mechanisms, resistome–virulome coupling patterns, mobilome-associated risk characteristics, and emerging biomonitoring strategies in direct sea discharge outlets. By integrating high-throughput multi-omics technologies with ecological network analysis and machine learning, we delineated a paradigm shift from cataloging microbial presence to deciphering functional interactions, risk propagation dynamics, and proactive surveillance strategies. Furthermore, under the “One Health” framework, we discussed emerging research frontiers and future challenges in managing pollution at discharge outlets, aiming to provide a scientific basis for environmental risk management in coastal zones. Full article

The interaction of electromagnetic waves with atmospheric aerosols plays a significant role in communication systems and multimedia information transmission. Understanding the interaction of vortex light beams with an aerosol-laden atmosphere is indispensable for establishing a framework of the environmental channel. During the interaction, different optical effects such as absorption and scattering will result in energy attenuation, and this yields the deterioration of the transmission feature of the vortex beam signal. In this study, we present a theoretical analysis of Gaussian vortex beams (GVBs) scattering by diverse aerosol (unformed carbon, dust, sulphate, silicate, soot, and nitrate) particles in the atmosphere on the basis of the well-established generalized Lorenz–Mie theory (GLMT). Combined with the lognormal distribution model for aerosol particles, the attenuation and transmission characteristics of GVBs for different aerosol particles are analyzed. The extinction efficiency $\left(Q_{ext}\right)$ factor of GVB, caused by the absorption and scattering of various aerosols, becomes smaller compared to that of a basic Gaussian beam (GB). Increasing the OAM mode index, the energy attenuation and transmission caused by aerosol absorption and scattering further decrease. Moreover, this research provides a basis to analyze the optical characteristics of the twisted beams in different atmospheric channels, such as wireless communication networks over aerosol-laden systems and material interactions. Full article

Chronic wounds represent a substantial and growing clinical burden, yet durable healing remains difficult to achieve in a large proportion of patients. The skin microbiome plays a central role in this challenge: in healthy tissue, resident microorganisms support barrier integrity and calibrate immune responses, whereas in chronic wounds, community disruption—often combined with persistent biofilm formation—drives non-resolving inflammation, impairs re-epithelialisation, and increases antimicrobial tolerance. As antibiotic resistance escalates, these features strengthen the rationale for microbiome-directed strategies that target wound ecology while reducing reliance on conventional antimicrobials. Current evidence is still dominated by mechanistic and preclinical studies, with only early clinical signals for selected approaches; therefore, next-generation probiotics, including Lactiplantibacillus/Lactobacillus spp., as well as defined prebiotic and postbiotic formulations, should be interpreted as promising adjuncts rather than clinically established therapies. Causal mechanisms, optimal formulations, reproducibility, and patient-level determinants of response remain insufficiently defined, representing a critical knowledge gap that limits translation. Here, we synthesise current evidence linking microbial ecology to key wound-healing pathways and propose a precision framework that integrates metagenomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and spatial profiling to map host–microbe interactions, identify predictive biomarkers, and guide stratified therapy. We further highlight combinatorial approaches pairing ecological engineering with biofilm-disruptive materials and immune-modulatory molecules. Realising the potential of these interventions will require mechanism-resolved clinical trials, standardised outcome frameworks, and patient stratification tools—advances that could improve chronic wound management while reducing selective pressure for antimicrobial resistance. Full article

Introduction/Objectives: Patient-centered communication is essential in oncology care, where healthcare professionals often manage emotionally demanding conversations, uncertainty, complex decisions, and patient involvement in care. However, the relationship between communication knowledge, empathic listening, and practical communication skills remains insufficiently examined. This study aimed to examine the associations between communication knowledge, empathic listening, and interpersonal communication skills among healthcare professionals involved in oncology care. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Croatia from May to November 2025 on a convenience sample of 138 healthcare professionals involved in oncology care. Communication knowledge was assessed using a study-specific questionnaire, empathic listening using an adapted Active Empathic Listening Scale, and interpersonal communication skills using an adapted Interpersonal Communication Skills Inventory. Because the instruments were adapted to the oncology care context, their dimensions were examined using exploratory factor analysis and interpreted as sample-specific exploratory constructs. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Clear message delivery and assertiveness had the highest self-reported score, whereas emotional interaction management had the lowest. Communication knowledge was not an independent predictor of communication skills dimensions. Processing and responding positively predicted clear message delivery and assertiveness (β = 0.361; p = 0.001; R² = 13.4%), while noticing emotional and nonverbal cues negatively predicted emotional interaction management (β = −0.234; p = 0.032; R² = 7.6%). The explained variance of the models was low. Conclusions: The findings suggest limited but potentially relevant associations between selected dimensions of empathic listening and self-reported communication skills in oncology care. Communication knowledge, measured using a study-specific exploratory instrument, was not independently associated with communication skills. Because of the exploratory design, self-report measures, adapted instruments, and convenience sampling, the results should be interpreted with caution. Full article

Despite growing evidence linking cultural participation to subjective well-being, existing research has largely focused on individual-level participation, local communities, or single-event case studies, leaving the role of festival density insufficiently explored at the national level. This study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between festival density, operationalized as the number of festivals per population (NFP), and national well-being through a cross-country comparative framework. The analysis integrates data from 121 countries and 7859 festivals obtained from the Vibrate platform with national well-being indicators from the World Happiness Report (2025). Using Pearson correlation analysis and supplementary regression-based robustness checks, the study identifies a moderate positive association between festival density and national well-being. However, the strength of this relationship varies across geographical and contextual settings, and weakens when broader socioeconomic factors are taken into account. The findings further indicate that cultural attributes, particularly festival genre, are more strongly associated with well-being outcomes than structural characteristics such as festival size. Religious festivals exhibit the strongest observed correlation, although this result should be interpreted cautiously due to the limited number of observations within this category. The study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing festival density as a macro-level indicator of cultural opportunity structures and by providing one of the first systematic cross-country analyses of its relationship with national well-being. The findings advance current knowledge by suggesting that the cultural characteristics of festival ecosystems may be more relevant to well-being than their scale alone, while also highlighting the importance of broader socioeconomic conditions in shaping national well-being outcomes. The findings also contribute to the sustainability literature by highlighting the role of cultural ecosystems as components of social sustainability. By fostering opportunities for social interaction, collective identity, and cultural participation, festival environments may support sustainable well-being and strengthen the social and cultural dimensions of sustainable development. Full article

The patron saint celebrations of the colonias of Afro-Colombian migrants from the South Pacific region in Cali (Colombia) provide a significant context for understanding the perseverance of paisanaje (a shared experience of origin) bonds and ritual vitality in migration contexts. Organized consistently since the 1960s, these celebrations bring together dispersed communities year after year, activating and reshaping memories, emotions, and collective identities. Building on this celebratory perseverance, this article explores the factors that produce and sustain the emotional and social commitments that transcend the celebration itself. Drawing on the theory of interaction rituals, the concepts of collective effervescence, and embodied memory, this study proposes interpreting these celebrations as spaces where emotion, memory, and social time intertwine. This is based on the understanding that the ritual experience enacts the community through a shared repetition that brings the past to life and projects the expectation of reunion. For this analysis, this study draws on research conducted between 2015 and 2018 and a reflective re-examination of this material in 2026, which included participant observation at 10 celebrations and semi-structured interviews with members of 7 hometown communities or colonias. The results show that longing—the tension between the joy of reunion and the melancholy for what is absent—acts as a constitutive emotional state and the primary amplifier of the ritual’s emotional energy, adding precision to Collins’s model of how energy accumulates and enables the continuity of communal bonds. Full article

[d=LE]Transitions of control between automated driving systems and human drivers remain safety-relevant and cognitively demanding moments in human–automation interaction. Recent studies show that transition performance depends not only on takeover timing or response speed but also on traffic complexity, driver readiness, automation limitations, trust calibration, and situational-awareness recovery. As in-vehicle interaction evolves toward conversational and agentic AI assistance, takeover support also becomes a problem of governing how natural-language AI systems communicate with the driver under uncertainty.Transitions of control between automated driving systems and human drivers remain safety-relevant and cognitively demanding moments in human-automation interaction. Recent studies suggest that transition performance should not be assessed only through takeover timing or response speed since control resumption quality also depends on traffic complexity, driver readiness, automation limitations, and situational awareness recovery. [d=LE]This paper proposes a digital-twin-mediated framework for human-aware takeover support in automated driving. In this framework, the companion AI is treated as an assumed LLM-based in-vehicle conversational or agentic assistant used as an advisory interaction component. The contribution is defined at the architectural level: human, vehicle, and context/road digital twins provide structured semantic state abstractions through a semantic state interface exposing confidence, freshness, provenance, and consistency metadata, while a trustworthy companion AI (TCAI) layer grounds, constrains, validates, and governs companion AI output proposals before HMI delivery.This paper motivates and defines a trustworthy companion AI (TCAI) layer for human-aware transition support in automated driving. The TCAI is conceived as a bounded, supervised, and explainable advisory agent that supports the driver without entering the safety-critical vehicle-control loop. It reasons over structured semantic state abstractions derived from a human digital twin, a vehicle digital twin, and a context/road digital twin, exposing driver readiness, automation capability, and contextual urgency in a form that supports traceable, uncertainty-aware, and degradation-aware assistance. [d=LE]Building on the research on driver-state monitoring, adaptive HMI, trust calibration, explainability, conversational assistance, and human assistance systems (HASs), the framework coordinates advisory interaction across vigilance support, contextual explanation, trust-calibrating communication, and directive handover guidance. The TCAI layer combines bounded reasoning, human-factor-derived guardrails, state-consistency management, dynamic explanation-depth control, trust-dynamics modeling, graded watchdog veto handling, mandatory access-control assumptions, and deterministic fallback. Safety-critical vehicle-control and minimum risk condition (MRC) functions remain assigned to the deterministic vehicle-control stack, while the authorized output path of the TCAI layer is validated HMI delivery.Building on the research on driver-state monitoring, adaptive HMI, trust calibration, explainability, and conversational assistance, we propose a conceptual architecture in which the TCAI coordinates multimodal assistance across different interaction conditions, including vigilance support, contextual explanation, trust-calibrating communication, and directive handover guidance. The companion does not actuate the vehicle; its outputs are constrained by runtime governance, policy enforcement, and deterministic fallback mechanisms. [d=LE]The paper concludes with a validation agenda and technical roadmap covering planned transitions, urgent handovers, degraded or adversarial conditions, temporal fusion of driver-state evidence, phase-sensitive HMI policies, trust-calibration trajectories, driver veto and partial-disabling mechanisms, and staged simulator-to-vehicle evaluation. Although motivated by SAE Level 3 automation, the framework may also inform fallback-related Level 4 scenarios in which human and automated agency must be managed under uncertainty.The paper concludes with a research roadmap for validating the proposed architecture under planned transitions, urgent handovers, and degraded or adversarial conditions. Although motivated by SAE Level 3 automation, the approach may also inform fallback-related Level 4 scenarios. Full article