Search Results (504)

Objective: This study aimed to explore the barriers to and factors influencing the adoption of smart healthcare among Chinese patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and their caregivers with medium or low levels of self-care or caregiving ability. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen patients with CVD and nine caregivers to determine their needs and suggestions regarding the adoption of smart healthcare in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Results: The interview data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven steps. Two major themes and eleven subthemes were extracted, including facilitating factors (motivation to use, learning and interactive engagement, knowledge translation, and psychological identity) and obstacles (insufficient ease of operation, risk to personal privacy, ambivalence about paying for knowledge, fear of physical and mental injury, mistrust of implementation personnel, and technical or functional limitations of equipment) to the adoption of smart healthcare. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that before implementing smart healthcare interventions for patients with CVD and their caregivers, it is necessary to fully assess their willingness; push precise content based on their learning, interaction, and psychological needs; and address the technical barriers and privacy protection to enhance their willingness to use the system. Full article

Medication errors pose a significant threat to patient safety. Although Bar-Code Medication Administration (BCMA) has reduced error rates, it is constrained by handheld devices, workflow interruptions, and incomplete safeguards against wrong patients, wrong doses, or drug incompatibility. In this study, we developed and evaluated a next-generation BCMA system by integrating artificial intelligence and mixed reality technologies for real-time safety checks: Optical Character Recognition verifies medication–label concordance, facial recognition confirms patient identity, and a rules engine evaluates drug–diluent compatibility. Computer vision models achieved high recognition accuracy for drug vials (100%), medication labels (90%), QR codes (90%), and patient faces (90%), with slightly lower performance for intravenous fluids (80%). A mixed-methods evaluation was conducted in a simulated environment using the System Usability Scale (SUS), Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (RIMMS), Virtual Reality Sickness Questionnaire (VRSQ), and NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). The results indicated excellent usability (median SUS = 82.5/100), strong user motivation (RIMMS = 3.7/5), minimal cybersickness (VRSQ = 0.4/6), and manageable cognitive workload (NASA-TLX = 31.7/100). Qualitative analysis highlighted the system’s potential to streamline workflow and serve as a digital “second verifier.” These findings suggest strong potential for clinical integration, enhancing medication safety at the point of care. Full article

This qualitative study explored physically fit women’s physical, psychological, and societal reasons for engaging in exercise through the lenses of objectification theory and self-determination theory. A phenomenological approach enabled an in-depth examination of the complexity of women’s experiences, including the challenges and successes associated with physical exercise. The participants’ narratives ranged from accounts of perseverance in exercising, despite societal expectations and gendered stereotypes, to expressions of a desire to live long, happy, and healthy lives. Eight key themes were identified: initial motivators for physical exercise, benefits of physical exercise, perseverance, definition of a successful workout, gendered barriers to physical fitness, physical fitness identity, cost of physical fitness pursuit, and appearance motives. The findings highlight how physical exercise fosters empowerment and psychological well-being, with benefits such as self-assurance and self-love supporting sustained motivation over time. This study deepens understanding of how women navigate fitness within a broader sociocultural context and illustrates how external motivators can evolve into intrinsic motivation centered on autonomy, competence, and personal well-being. Full article

Motivation to publish is a key competence in university research training, although it is still little explored from a comparative approach in Latin America. This study analyzed the motivation to publish in university students from Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, considering three dimensions: commitment, behavior, and intention. The Motivation to Publish Scientific Articles Scale (EMP-AC) was applied to 268 participants, complemented with a sociodemographic form. The data were processed in the software jamovi v.2.6.44, and the results show that intention is the dominant dimension in the three countries, followed by behavior and commitment. In addition, contextual differences were identified: in Ecuador, intention predominated, while in Colombia, concreteness in publications stood out. These findings provide comparative evidence and guide universities to design programs that integrate technical training with motivational strategies that strengthen the research identity. Full article

Background: Goal setting has always been a crucial management factor for workforce motivation and is quite complex due to multiple goal characteristics. Considering that the emergence of Quiet Quitting (QQ) has inflicted harm on employees’ mental well-being in the healthcare field, urgent attention needs to be paid to the impact of goal setting on QQ. This study aimed to assess the current state of work goal setting and QQ among primary health professionals and to explore the effect of goal characteristics on QQ. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed among 520 primary health professionals from 11 primary health centers. The Modified Goal Setting Scale and Quiet Quitting Scale were utilized to measure goal characteristics and QQ. Descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, and multiple regression were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean score of QQ was 2.12. The eight goal characteristics were clustered into five categories. Among them, two categories demonstrated significant negative effects on QQ: Goal Specificity and Identity (Category 1; β = −0.096, p < 0.05) and Goal Fulfillment and Organizational Support (Category 2; β = −0.466, p < 0.001). Conversely, three categories showed significant positive effects: Goal Difficulty (Category 3; β = 0.112, p < 0.05), Goal Attainability (Category 4; β = 0.142, p < 0.01), and Goal Conflict (Category 5; β = 0.185, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The phenomenon of QQ requires attention among Chinese primary health professionals. Setting work goals scientifically may prove to be beneficial in curbing its spread. From a practical perspective, goal setting should be specific, moderately challenging, yet attainable, recognized and accepted by employees, and strongly supported by the organization. This approach is valuable for reducing QQ and fostering supportive work environments in primary healthcare. It should be noted, however, that while this study identifies significant associations, its cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, and the findings are context-specific to Chinese primary healthcare institutions. Full article

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) and SARS-CoV-2 continue to co-burden global health, motivating discovery of broad-spectrum small molecules. Conessine, a steroidal alkaloid, has reported membrane-active and antimicrobial properties but remains underexplored as a dual antiviral chemotype. To interrogate conessine’s multi-target antiviral potential against key enzymatic and entry determinants of HIV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 and to benchmark performance versus approved comparators. Eight targets were modeled: HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT, 3V81), protease (PR, 1HVR), integrase (IN, 3LPT), gp120–gp41 trimer (4NCO); and SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^pro, 6LU7), papain-like protease (PL^pro, 6W9C), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp, 7BV2), spike RBD (6M0J). Ligands (conessine; positive controls: dolutegravir for HIV-1, nirmatrelvir for SARS-CoV-2) were prepared with standard protonation, minimized, and docked using AutoDock Vina v 1.2.0exhaustiveness 4; 20 poses). Binding modes were profiled in 2D/3D. Protocol robustness was verified by re-docking co-crystallized ligands (RMSD ≤ 2.0 Å). Atomistic MD (explicit TIP3P, OPLS4, 300 K/1 atm, NPT; 50–100 ns) assessed pose stability (RMSD/RMSF), pocket compaction (Rg, volume), and interaction persistence; MM/GBSA provided qualitative energy decomposition. ADMET was predicted in silico. Conessine showed coherent, hydrophobically anchored binding across both viral panels. Best docking scores (kcal·mol⁻¹) were: HIV-1—PR −6.910, RT −6.672, IN −5.733; SARS-CoV-2—spike RBD −7.025, M^pro −5.745, RdRp −5.737, PL^pro −5.024. Interaction maps were dominated by alkyl/π-alkyl packing to catalytic corridors (e.g., PR Ile50/Val82, RT Tyr181/Val106; M^pro His41/Met49; RBD L455/F486/Y489) with occasional carbon-/water-mediated H-bonds guiding orientation. MD sustained low ligand RMSD (typically ≤1.6–2.2 Å) and damped RMSF at catalytic loops, indicating pocket rigidification; MM/GBSA trends (≈ −30 to −40 kcal·mol⁻¹, dispersion-driven) supported persistent nonpolar stabilization. Benchmarks behaved as expected: dolutegravir bound strongly to IN (−6.070) and PR (−7.319) with stable MD; nirmatrelvir was specific for M^pro and displayed weaker, discontinuous engagement at PL^pro/RdRp/RBD under identical settings. ADMET suggested conessine has excellent permeability/BBB access (high logP), but liabilities include poor aqueous solubility, predicted hERG risk, and CYP2D6 substrate dependence.Conessine operates as a hydrophobic, multi-target wedge with the most favorable computed engagement at HIV-1 PR/RT and the SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD, while maintaining stable poses at M^pro and RdRp. The scaffold merits medicinal-chemistry optimization to improve solubility and de-risk cardiotoxicity/CYP interactions, followed by biochemical and cell-based validation against prioritized targets. Full article

This study applies the Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) to estimate the non-use value of Laojun Mountain National Park, a culturally and ecologically significant site within the Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage region of northwestern Yunnan, China. Based on 219 valid survey responses, the analysis identifies education, income, occupation, cultural identity, and recognition of legacy values as significant determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for conservation. Interaction effect logistic regression shows that the influence of cultural identity on WTP is moderated by income level and ecological awareness. Valuation results indicate that the park’s annual non-use value ranges from 79.697 to 260.841 billion yuan, based on median and mean estimates. Motivational analysis highlights aesthetic appreciation, cultural meaning, and intergenerational ethics as key drivers of conservation support, while refusal to pay is primarily attributed to expectations of governmental responsibility, especially among low-income and less-educated respondents. These findings advance theoretical understanding of bio-cultural valuation, offer practical guidance for the design of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes, and underscore the importance of integrating socio-cultural dimensions into sustainable conservation finance and policy strategies. Full article

Motivation. Analytic function theory on commutative complex extensions calls for an operator–theoretic calculus that simultaneously sees the algebra-induced coupling among components and supports boundary-to-interior mechanisms. Gap. While Dirac-type frameworks are classical in several complex variables and Clifford analysis, a coherent calculus aligning structural CR systems, a canonical first derivative, and a Cauchy-type boundary identity on the commutative model $\mathbb{C}\left(\mathbb{C}\right)\cong {\mathbb{C}}^4$ has not been systematically developed. Purpose and Aims. This paper develops such a calculus for $\mathcal{O}$-regular mappings on $\mathbb{C}\left(\mathbb{C}\right)$ and establishes three pillars of the theory. Main Results. (i) A fully coupled Cauchy–Riemann system characterizing $\mathcal{O}$-regularity; (ii) identification of a canonical first derivative $g^{\prime }\left(z\right)={\partial }_{x_0}g\left(z\right)$; and (iii) a Stokes-driven boundary annihilation law ${\int }_{\partial \mathrm{\Omega }}\tau g=0$ for a canonical 7-form $\tau$. On (pseudo)convex domains, $\overline{\partial }$-methods yield solvability under natural compatibility and regularity assumptions. Stability (under algebra-preserving maps), Liouville-type, and removability results are also obtained, and function spaces suited to this algebra are outlined. Significance. The results show that a large portion of the classical holomorphic toolkit survives, in algebra-aware form, on $\mathbb{C}\left(\mathbb{C}\right)$. Full article

The motivations behind terrorism have emerged from debates on armed conflict. This article seeks to explore the membership status of the Taliban that maintained a positive social identity as an in-group to fight vigorously against the international community and seize Afghanistan in August 2021. With a range of semi-structured interviews with key security and justice stakeholders and civil society groups in Kabul from 2010 to 2016, opinions are based on efforts that engaged with Security Sector Reform (SSR) and fighting the resilience of the Taliban. It was found that the Taliban continued its fight and growth in membership and partial civic support due to its strong social identity (as an in-group) fighting an undesired, illegitimate, and corrupt state, judiciary, and police force supported by the international community. As part of social identity theory, poverty, unemployment, corruption and immorality are seen to serve a strategic and tactical purpose in aiding the socioeconomic, political and religious motives for recruitment towards the Taliban. However, after reseizing power, sanctions, a reduction in international aid, poverty and civic discontent with strict governance have resulted in other rival terrorist and resistance groups posing a threat to the Taliban, losing its positive social identity. Full article

Teacher identity emerges from the intertwined relationship of past, present, and future experiences, shaped through active reflection within individual, social, and cultural contexts. This study investigates how initial teacher education programs for future primary school teachers and future mathematics teachers influence their perceptions of mathematics education. Questionnaires with predominantly open-ended questions were distributed to 369 students: 195 enrolled in mathematics teacher education programs and 174 in primary school teacher education programs. The survey examined their preferences for school subjects in prior education, motivations for choosing teaching as a profession, important teacher qualities, and attitudes toward mathematics. The results reveal significant differences between the two groups: future primary school teachers emphasize the focus on children and relational aspects of teaching, while future mathematics teachers highlight mathematics as a scientific discipline. Both groups’ responses reflect their respective educational programs and experiences. The findings suggest that adopting a holistic approach in teacher education, integrating content knowledge with pedagogical practice, and supporting reflective processes can foster deeper self-understanding and the development of a professional teacher identity. Full article

This study explores how contextual framings influence sustainable decision-making in everyday situations. Building on the literature about the intention–behaviour gap, we examine the combined effect of role activation and environmental risk on pro-environmental preferences. A scenario-based behavioural experiment, conducted via oTree, integrated within-subject role framing (citizen, consumer, neutral) with randomised environmental risk conditions. Participants completed repeated binary choice tasks, where Eco-Preference was defined as the frequency with which they chose the sustainable option. The results indicate that activating a citizen role significantly increased Eco-Preference compared to consumer or neutral framings, while high-risk contexts did not directly boost sustainable behaviour. Instead, risk cues had an indirect effect through motivational states, highlighting the mediating role of Eco-Preference. Theoretically, this study advances Eco-Preference as a latent behavioural construct linking identity-based theories of responsibility with decision-based models of sustainability. Practically, the findings underscore the potential of role-based communication strategies to enhance ecological responsibility, suggesting that both policy and organisational interventions can benefit from fostering civic identities. Ultimately, the framework is applicable across cultures by offering a behavioural measure less prone to survey bias, supporting future comparative research on environmental decision-making. Full article

Vocational education and training (VET) plays a vital role in sustaining labour market competitiveness and supporting social cohesion, with vocational instructors holding a decisive role in transmitting occupational expertise and shaping the professional identity of future skilled workers. Although teacher motivation and professional identity have been widely examined, relatively little attention has been devoted to the role of personal resources in the education of vocational instructors. This study addresses this gap by analysing four cohorts of vocational instructor trainees at a Hungarian university between 2021 and 2024 (N = 221). Data were collected using the Values in Action (VIA) Inventory of Strengths, which measures 24 character strengths across six virtues, and analysed through descriptive statistics, cohort comparisons, correlation tests, and principal component analysis. The findings revealed a consistent profile dominated by fairness, kindness, love of learning, teamwork, and perseverance, reflecting a combination of ethical commitment, interpersonal sensitivity, intellectual curiosity, and resilience. Cohort-level comparisons indicated minor variations, such as stronger teamwork in 2022 and higher love of learning in 2023, while the correlation and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) confirmed that strengths clustered into broader constellations largely consistent with Peterson and Seligman’s six virtues. These results underscore the relevance of a strengths-based approach in vocational instructor education by showing how existing resources can support identity development, resilience, and long-term professional commitment, and point to the need for future longitudinal and multi-institutional studies. Full article

Traditional food products (TFPs) hold a significant place in the cultural and gastronomic identity of Vojvodina, and consumer interest in these products is continuously growing, positioning them among the most relevant research topics in the fields of hospitality and consumer behavior. The aim of this study was to examine how consumers’ socio-demographic characteristics influence their attitudes and perception of the quality and attributes of TFPs on hospitality and tourism market. The research was conducted on a sample of 507 adult respondents from the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests (Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis) and ordinal logistic regression. The results indicate that age, gender, education level and place of residence significantly affect attitudes toward the quality, price, availability, and advantages of TFPs compared to industrial or imported products. Respondents from rural areas, those with lower education levels and lower incomes, show a greater tendency to consume traditional products. The main barriers to consumption were identified as high prices and insufficient information. The regression results showed that gender and place of residence were significant predictors of consumers’ tendency to choose dishes prepared with TFPs in hospitality establishments. The study highlights the need for tailored marketing and educational strategies to improve the accessibility, diversity, and visibility of TFPs on the market, with particular attention to their integration into the hospitality sector. However, the study is limited to the region of Vojvodina and relies on self-reported data, which may introduce response bias. Future research could explore comparative analyses across different regions or include qualitative insights into consumer motivations. Full article

Cultural heritage is important for every group and society, as it represents a part of their identity and helps preserve traditions, along with significant tangible and intangible elements. These elements are not only passed on to future generations but also play a role in education today. Many studies have examined digital applications that promote cultural heritage, particularly those that use Augmented Reality (AR) technology. However, few have systematically examined the methodologies used in the design, development and evaluation of AR applications for cultural heritage. This narrative review addresses that gap by analyzing 45 papers published between 2008 and 2024 from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The review identifies the main motivations for AR applications, such as enhancing the learning experience, promoting tourism and the use of gamification. The majority of these applications concentrate on tangible cultural heritage, such as historical buildings and cultural routes, while intangible heritage remains less explored. In most cases, AR applications were developed with a focus on user experience, using various development tools and showing different levels of technical complexity. Although many applications initiated evaluation processes, few completed them thoroughly. These evaluations vary widely, ranging from usability tests to pre-/post-tests. The results generally report positive impacts in terms of learning and user experience. This review offers a structured framework and useful insights for researchers regarding the design and evaluation of AR applications and helps identify research gaps and limitations for future work. Full article

Face swapping is commonly assumed to act locally on the face region, which motivates placing watermarks away from the face to preserve the integrity of the face. We demonstrate that this assumption is violated in practice. Using a region-aware protocol with tunable-strength visible and invisible watermarks and six face-swap families, we quantify both identity transfer and watermark retention on the VGGFace2 dataset. First, edits are non-local—generators alter background statistics and degrade watermarks even far from the face, as measured by background-only PSNR and Pearson correlation relative to a locality-preserving baseline. Second, dependencies between watermark strength, identity transfer, and retention are non-monotonic and architecture-dependent. Methods that better confine edits to the face—typically those employing segmentation-weighted objectives—preserve background signal more reliably than globally trained GAN pipelines. At comparable perceptual distortion, invisible marks tuned to the background retain higher correlation with the background than visible overlays. These findings indicate that classical robustness tests are insufficient alone—watermark evaluation should report region-wise metrics and be strength- and architecture-aware. Full article