Search Results (1,889)

Inclusive education represents a central pillar of social sustainability, demanding a nuanced understanding of the factors shaping students’ attitudes toward people with disabilities. Grounded in the social–relational model of disability—which conceptualizes disability as the interaction between individual characteristics and environmental barriers—this study examined the effects of emotionally valenced video stimuli (positive, negative, neutral), gender, and tolerance level on university students’ attitudes, using a randomized quasi-experimental design with repeated measures. The intervention was implemented entirely online to ensure consistency and accessibility. A total of 179 undergraduate students from the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest (Romania), aged 20 to 23 years (M = 21.4, SD = 1.6), participated in the study, which lasted approximately two weeks. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessments, including the Elementary Tolerance Scale and a 25-item Attitude Scale combining strengths-based descriptors with stereotype-consistent items used diagnostically to detect bias (without endorsing such framings). Results revealed a significant main effect of video type, F (2.176) = 10.07, p < 0.001, with higher post-test scores for the positive condition (M = 93.82) compared to the negative (M = 85.88) and neutral (M = 82.67) conditions. Gender (p = 0.033) and tolerance level (p = 0.034) also emerged as significant moderators. We explicitly reject deficit-oriented terminology, contextualizing its use solely for diagnostic and analytical purposes; wherever possible, affirming, strengths-based, and socially grounded language is prioritized. These findings highlight the value of brief, emotionally tailored interventions for fostering inclusive attitudes in higher education and emphasize the importance of ethically curated, co-designed educational materials and measurement practices grounded in dignity and human rights. Ethical Note (Content Warning): The study adopts a social–relational, human-rights perspective on disability. Deficit-based narratives were analyzed exclusively as subjects of critique and are not endorsed. Descriptions of the “negative” stimulus were deliberately minimized to reduce potential harm and included only for scientific transparency. Negative-valence questionnaire items reflect prevalent stereotypes and were used solely as diagnostic indicators of bias. Future research should prioritize collaborative co-creation with scholars and advocates with disabilities and employ ethically curated, inclusive stimuli. Full article

An ongoing controversy exists regarding whether honest behaviors are driven by intuition or deliberation. To reconcile opposing research viewpoints, this study, grounded in the social heuristic hypothesis, focuses on two key factors that influence honest behaviors: decision-making situations and personal traits. It explores the effects of intuitive and deliberate decision-making modes on adolescents’ honest behaviors and the moderating effect of honesty tendencies and victim situations. A mixed three-factor experimental design was employed, using a “spot-the-difference” task to assess adolescents’ honest behaviors. The results revealed that, in victimless situations, promoting intuitive and deliberate decision-making was more conducive to the honest behaviors of adolescents with high- and low-honesty tendencies, respectively, while in victim situations the effect of decision-making modes on honest behaviors tended to be consistent between individuals with high and low honesty tendencies. Adolescents with high and low honesty tendencies demonstrated more honest behaviors in the intuitive decision-making mode. These findings indicate that the effect of decision-making modes on honest behaviors is a dynamic process of individual–situation co-shaping, emphasizing the significant situational heterogeneity of—and providing a new perspective to improve—adolescents’ honest behaviors. Full article

A growing international consensus holds that science education must advance beyond content coverage to cultivate robust understanding of the Nature of Science (NoS)—how scientific knowledge is generated, justified, revised, and socially negotiated. Yet naïve conceptions persist among students and teachers, and effective, scalable classroom strategies remain contested. This narrative review synthesizes research and practice on games and playful activities that make epistemic features of science visible and discussable. We organize the repertoire into six families—(i) observation–inference and discrepant-event tasks; (ii) pattern discovery and rule-finding puzzles; (iii) black-box and model-based inquiry; (iv) activities that dramatize tentativeness and anomaly management; (v) deliberately underdetermined mysteries that cultivate warrant-based explanations; and (vi) moderately contextualized games. Across these designs, we analyze how specific mechanics afford core NoS dimensions (e.g., observation vs. inference, creativity, plurality of methods, theory-ladenness and subjectivity, tentativeness) and what scaffolds transform playful engagement into explicit, reflective learning. We conclude with pragmatic guidance for teacher education and curriculum design, highlighting the importance of language supports, structured debriefs, and calibrated contextualization, and outline priorities for future research on equity, assessment, and digital extensions. Full article

Rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction cannot be reduced to a linear, time-based sequence of protection, strength, and return to sport. Persistent asymmetries, quadriceps inhibition, and variable re-injury rates highlight that recovery is a complex adaptive process in which outcomes emerge from dynamic interactions between biological, neural, and psychological subsystems. Grounded in complexity science and chaos theory, this editorial reframes rehabilitation as the regulation of variability rather than its suppression. The Control–Chaos Continuum provides a practical structure to translate this concept into progressive exposure, where clinicians dose uncertainty as a therapeutic stimulus. Adaptive periodization replaces rigid stages with overlapping macro-blocks that respond to readiness, feedback, and context. Neuroplastic mechanisms and ecological dynamics justify the deliberate introduction of controlled “noise” to foster coordination, confidence, and resilience. Ultimately, the goal is not perfect control but stable performance under variability—the ability to function “at the edge of chaos.” This conceptual perspective articulates a clinically actionable framework—linking the Control–Chaos Continuum with adaptive periodization—to guide non-linear decision-making and safe return-to-sport. Full article

Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) encompasses more than the acquisition of environmental knowledge; it nurtures holistic learner development and empowers learners to understand and respond to human impacts on the environment. Schoolgrounds, when effectively utilised, provide a readily available resource for promoting environmental learning through context-based pedagogy. Yet, a review of the literature reveals a paucity of research in South Africa examining schoolgrounds as enablers of ESE. This study explored the accessibility and use of schoolgrounds to support environment-inclined pedagogy in Grade 7 Natural and Social Sciences at two schools in the Mpumalanga Province. Adopting a qualitative–interpretive paradigm, the study employed a phenomenological case study design, using purposive and convenient sampling to select participants and research sites. The sample comprised 46 participants: 40 learners, 4 teachers, and 2 principals. Data were generated through observations, semi-structured interviews, and survey questionnaires, and were thematically analysed. Findings indicate that while schoolgrounds are accessible to both teachers and learners, their pedagogical use remains limited and largely incidental. The study argues that more deliberate integration of schoolgrounds into teaching practices is needed. It concludes with education policy and pedagogical recommendations aimed at promoting schoolground-based ESE as a vital contributor to sustainability-oriented teaching and learning. Full article

Egypt has experienced a sharp rise in external debt over the past decade, increasing from USD 55.8 billion in 2015 to over USD 165.3 billion by 2023. Despite maintaining a debt-to-GDP ratio within internationally accepted thresholds (approximately 45% in 2023), the country faces mounting economic distress, including foreign exchange shortages, currency depreciation, and rising debt-servicing burdens. This study argues that Egypt’s crisis stems not from excessive borrowing but from ineffective debt management, particularly the misalignment between debt maturities and the economic returns of financed projects. Using annual data from 2010 to 2023—a period deliberately selected to capture Egypt’s post-2011 political and economic transition—the analysis applies a Vector Autoregression (VAR) model and Granger causality test to explore short-term interactions between short-term and long-term external debt, the exchange rate, and foreign reserves. While the small sample size limits long-term econometric inference, it provides meaningful insights into short-term debt dynamics and liquidity pressures characteristic of Egypt’s current economic phase. The results show that short-term debt exerts significant depreciative pressure on the currency, while long-term debt weakly undermines reserves when tied to non-revenue-generating projects. Policy recommendations emphasize improving debt maturity alignment, enhancing transparency, and linking debt servicing to productive investments. Full article

The Dutch horticultural supply chain is characterised by substantial uncertainty resulting from ongoing organisational changes, such as the transformation from an auction-cooperative system to a sales organisation-based structure. This uncertainty causes strategic behaviour among all supply-chain members (including producers), which often disadvantages primary producers. This study investigates how uncertainty shapes trading behaviour and decision-making using Transaction Cost Theory as a theoretical framework. Specifically, it examines the relationship between environmental and behavioural uncertainty, trading behaviour and strategic responses. Employing a multimethod approach involving interviews, simulation sessions and debriefings to collect data, this study integrates a qualitative and quantitative analysis. The findings reveal: (1) how uncertainty influences trader behaviour and strategic decision-making, and demonstrates the need for more effective coordination mechanisms and strategies to reduce opportunism and inefficiencies in horticultural trade, (2) the diversity of strategic responses to uncertainty and (3) the factors that influence uncertainty and their relationship. Thes factors, include the current supply-chain structure that upholds uncertainty and strategic behaviour such as the deliberate exploitation of the absence or lack of information (asymmetric information). By combining methodological triangulation with theoretical insight, this study provides a foundational understanding of strategic behaviour under uncertainty in agri-food supply chains. Full article

This study investigates seven advanced hybrid composite thermal protection system (TPS) prototypes, featuring an innovative internal air chamber design that reduces heat conduction and enhances overall thermal protection performance. Specimens were manufactured by fused deposition modeling (FDM), an additive manufacturing technique, using a fire-retardant thermoplastic. Selected configurations were reinforced with continuous carbon or glass fibers, coated with ceramic surface layer, or hybridized with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) layers or a CFRP laminate disk. To validate performance, a harsh oxy-acetylene torch (OAT) protocol was implemented, deliberately designed to exceed the severity of most reported typical ablative assessments. The exposed surface of each specimen was subjected to direct flame at a 50 mm distance, recording peak temperatures of 1600 ± 50 °C. Two samples of each configuration were tested under 60 and 90 s exposures. Back-face thermal readings at potential payload sites consistently remained below 85 °C, well under the 200 °C maximum standard threshold for TPS applications. Several configurations preserved structural integrity despite the extreme environment. Prototypes 4.1 and 4.2 demonstrate the most favorable performance, maintaining structural integrity and low back-face temperatures despite substantial thickness loss. By contrast, specimen 6.2 exhibited rapid degradation following 60 s of exposure, which served as a rigorous and selective early-stage screening tool for evaluating polymer-based ablative TPS architectures. Full article

This article examines how a Daoist sacred mountain community in east China historically intertwined its religious life with the rhythms of the natural world, thereby challenging the conventional divide between “nature” and “culture.” Centering on the sacred mountain Maoshan—renowned for its cult of transcendents and its symbolic association with migrating cranes—the study shows how annual pilgrimage cycles were deliberately synchronized with avian migration patterns. Drawing on classical texts, religious scriptures, gazetteers, steles and imperial edicts, we reveal that the timing of rituals and imperial edicts at Maoshan aligned with the cranes’ arrival and departure, regulating human activities like logging, hunting and farming in this holy landscape. Such evidence demonstrates that Chinese religious practice not only reflected cosmological beliefs but also actively modeled human lifeworlds on non-human cycles, blurring the boundary between the social and the ecological. Over two millennia, Maoshan’s integrated ritual–ecological system helped conserve biodiversity (by protecting habitat during key seasons) and reinforced a worldview in which humans and auspicious animals were partners in a shared cosmic order. As environmental conditions shifted in later eras—through deforestation, climate change, and social upheaval—this nature-attuned tradition was forced to adapt, illuminating both the potency and precarity of a cosmology grounded in predictable natural rhythms. By highlighting a case where religious institutions and animal agency co-produced a sustainable temporal regime, the study contributes to broader anthropological debates on relational ontology in East Asia. It suggests that classical Daoist cosmology, often classified as “analogist,” in fact operated as a form of relational monism: an enduring conviction that human society and the living environment are co-constitutive and continuous. Through the lens of Maoshan’s history, we reconsider how premodern models of “unity of Heaven and humanity” were pragmatically applied, and we explore their implications for reimagining nature–culture relationships amid the uncertainties of the Anthropocene. Full article

This study proposes the Brand Identity–Image Convergence Model (BIICM) as an integrative framework for analyzing how animated cultural content contributes to nation branding within digital ecosystems. Focusing on the global reception of K-Pop Demon Hunters, the research examines 12,000 YouTube comments in six languages to assess the degree of alignment between Korea’s domestic brand identity aspirations and its international brand image perceptions. The BIICM operationalizes convergence through computational text analysis of user-generated content, enabling empirical measurement across six brand dimensions. Findings reveal substantial variation among these dimensions: while entertainment excellence demonstrated strong congruence between domestic and international perceptions, dimensions such as modern innovation and tourism appeal exhibited significant divergence. Complementary social network analysis identified distinct communicative structures across linguistic communities, with Korean networks displaying higher density and foreign networks greater modularity—indicating different modes of cultural diffusion and engagement. By bridging identity construction and audience perception within a unified analytical model, this study advances theoretical understanding of nation branding in interactive media environments. The results offer actionable insights for policymakers and cultural strategists, suggesting that animated cultural content attains the highest brand convergence through entertainment-oriented narratives, yet necessitates more deliberate strategies to strengthen innovation and tourism associations in Korea’s global brand architecture. Full article

‘Deepfakes’ and other forms of digital communications disinformation are now on the virtual frontlines of many armed conflicts. Military commanders can potentially gain significant tactical advantages by misleading enemy forces, opposing governments, and civilian populations into believing X when Y is the true state of affairs. Distinct from military propaganda, deliberate deceptions and subterfuge have long been part of warfare. However, a powerful claim is advanced that deepfakes such as announcing surrender, truce declarations, or similar messages that place soldiers and civilians at greater risk are international humanitarian law (IHL) violations, notably under the 1907 Hague Convention and the 1977 Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. This four-section critical discussion considers whether, or to what extent, deepfakes are IHL compliant. Selected examples taken from the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war are highlighted to illustrate the potentially grave dangers that deepfakes represent for innocent civilian populations. IHL reform recommendations are made that would reduce deepfake harm—if such reforms are embraced by the international community (an admittedly doubtful prospect). Full article

Accurate nearshore bathymetry is an essential dataset for coastal modelling and coastal hazard management, but traditional surveys are expensive and dangerous to conduct in energetic surf zones. Remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) offer a flexible way to collect high spatial and temporal resolution bathymetric data. This study applies deliberately simple workflows with accessible instrumentation to compare video-based and spectral inversion techniques at two contrasting coastal settings: an exposed open beach with relative higher wave energy and turbidity, and a sheltered embayed beach with lower energy conditions. The video-based (UBathy) approach achieved lower errors (0.22–0.41 m RMSE) than the spectral approach (Stumpf) (0.30–0.71 m RMSE), confirming its strength in semi-turbid, low- to moderate-energy settings. Stumpf’s accuracy matched prior findings (~0.5 m errors in clear water) but declined with depth. Areas with sun glint areas and breaking waves are challenging but UBathy performed better in mixed wave conditions. While these errors are higher than traditional hydrographic surveys, they fall within expected RPA-derived ranges presenting opportunities for use in specific coastal management applications. Future improvements may come from reducing reliance on ground control and advancing deep learning-based hybrid methods to filter outliers and improve prediction accuracy on sub-optimal imagery caused by environmental conditions. Full article

Dogs are classified according to their total cephalic index into three biotypes: dolichocephalic, mesocephalic, and brachycephalic. The latter has emerged due to the deliberate selection of extreme phenotypic traits during breeding, which has intensified the expression of associated conformational defects and led to several medical disorders. The Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) is a respiratory condition directly linked to these conformational traits. Dogs affected by BOAS present a wide range of clinical signs, including respiratory noise, exercise intolerance, syncope episodes, or even sudden death. This study aimed to evaluate craniofacial anatomical differences and similarities among dogs of different cephalic biotypes (dolichocephalic, mesocephalic, and brachycephalic) and to determine how two exercise tolerance tests—a 6 min walk and a 1000 m walk—influence physiological parameters. Eighty dogs from different breeds were included and classified according to their biotype. Morphometric data from the head, body, and limbs were obtained. Additionally, physiological parameters, including heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and rectal temperature, were evaluated before and after the tolerance tests. The results indicated that dogs tolerated both exercise tests. Dolichocephalic and mesocephalic dogs showed a greater tolerance to or greater respiratory adaptation during walking. Despite the brachycephalic biotype, a wide dispersion at a distance of 1000 m, indicating that those with a higher BOAS grade did not require emergency medical assistance during the tests. However, evidence of rostral shortening (<38 mm), together with facial foreshortening and measurements ≥ 20 mm for necks, chest circumference, and nasal fold, suggested a higher risk of airway obstruction in brachycephalic dogs diagnosed with BOAS grades 2 and 3 compared to dolichocephalic and mesocephalic dogs. This anatomical conformation was associated with significant alterations in physiological parameters including heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation below 90%, and temperature, which did not return to baseline values 10 min post-exercise. This showed significant differences between the biotypes in the distance in the 1000 m test (H = 11.74; p = 0.0028) and between the subdivisions (p = 0.0389), where G3 covered less distance than G2 (699.1 m vs. 932.77 m. These findings suggest that extreme brachycephalic conformation impairs the respiratory function and leads to thermoregulatory inefficiency, potentially compromising the animals’ survival under physical stress. Moreover, the application of safe walking tests and non-invasive morphometric measurements is suggested to facilitate prompt diagnosis of BOAS. Full article

This policy insight outlines Latvia’s national strategy for integrating simulation-based education into all levels of medical and healthcare education by 2027. It is framed as a direct response to the 2024 Global Consensus Statement on Simulation-Based Practice in Healthcare, operationalizing its recomme ndations within a national policy context for Latvia. Grounded in international and national standards—including WHO guidance, EU directives, and principles of healthcare safety and education quality—the strategy promotes simulation as a transitional and indispensable phase between theoretical instruction and clinical practice. The strategy emphasises structured collaboration among universities, professional associations, healthcare providers, and government bodies. It sets out a governance and resource model for simulation-based learning environments, ensuring quality, sustainability, and alignment with ethical and professional standards. By embedding simulation-based education into undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education, Latvia aims to enhance healthcare professionals’ clinical competence, reduce preventable medical errors, and improve patient outcomes. The approach supports deliberate practice, facilitates safe and realistic training conditions, and strengthens the preparedness of healthcare workers for both routine and complex clinical scenarios. The strategy also calls for standardised quality-assurance mechanisms, accreditation procedures, and integration into national regulatory frameworks. This national roadmap aims to establish Latvia as a regional leader in simulation-based healthcare education, improving not only the safety and efficiency of healthcare services but also public trust and professional development. As such, the strategy serves both as a practical implementation plan and a model for countries pursuing similar goals. Full article

Spaceborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) can be applied for monitoring tropical cyclones (TCs), but co-polarized C-band SAR suffers from signal saturation such that it is improper for high wind-speed conditions. In contrast, cross-polarized SAR data does not suffer from this issue, but the retrieval algorithm needs more deliberation. Previously, many geophysical model functions (GMFs) have been developed using cross-polarized data, which obtain wind speeds using the complex relationships described by radar backscatter, incidence angle, wind direction, and radar look direction. In this regard, the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has provided versatile machine learning methods for such a nonlinear inversion problem. In this study, we comprehensively compare the wind-speed retrieval performance of several models including Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and Deep Neural Network (DNN), which were developed based on spatio-temporal matching and correlation analysis of stepped frequency microwave radiometer (SFMR) and dual-polarized Sentinel-1 SAR data after noise removal. A data set with ~2800 samples is generated during TCs for training and validating the inversion model. The generalization ability of different models is tested by the reserved independent data. When using similar parameters with GMFs, RF inversion has the highest accuracy with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 3.40 m/s and correlation coefficient of 0.94. Furthermore, considering that the sea surface temperature is a crucial factor for generating TCs and influencing ocean backscattering, its effects on the proposed RF model are also explored, the results of which show improved wind-speed retrieval performances. Full article