Search Results (38,932)

Background: Parents of school-age children with neurodevelopmental and conduct difficulties face elevated stress, reduced self-efficacy and relational strain, yet evidence for scalable, school-embedded support remains limited. Drawing on mentalization theory—which emphasises parents’ capacity to understand behaviour in terms of underlying mental states—this mixed-methods study evaluated a weekly parent learning group integrating psychoeducation, mentalization-based practice and peer support, delivered within an alternative provision school. Methods: A group of twelve parents who attended at least six sessions completed retrospective pretest–posttest questionnaires assessing parental reflective functioning (PRFQ) and parenting self-efficacy (PSOC). Semi-structured interviews explored parents’ subjective experiences and perceived changes in parent–child interactions and parent–school relationships. Quantitative outcomes were analysed using paired t-tests and effect sizes; qualitative data underwent reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Quantitative analyses revealed statistically significant improvements in parental reflective functioning and self-efficacy. Pre-mentalizing scores decreased substantially (d = 1.34), indicating reductions in non-mentalizing, while interest and curiosity about children’s mental states increased markedly (d = 1.83). Parenting self-efficacy improved significantly (d = 1.61). Although a reduction in excessive certainty about mental states approached significance (d = 0.63, p = 0.053), trends suggested greater epistemic balance. Qualitative analysis identified six themes elucidating mechanisms of change, including enhanced mentalizing capacity, reduced parental stress, transformed parent–child interactions and facilitation style as a critical active ingredient. Integration of findings suggests that psychoeducational content provided conceptual grounding for understanding behaviour, facilitator modelling scaffolded reflective practice, and relational safety within the group enabled authentic engagement with challenging experiences. Conclusions: These preliminary findings indicate that a school-based parent learning group combining psychoeducation, mentalization-based practice and peer support is feasible and associated with meaningful improvements in parental reflective functioning and self-efficacy. Parent narratives of transformed relational practices and shifts from reactive to reflective engagement echo broader literature demonstrating that group-delivered mentalization-oriented programmes can enhance reflective capacities and caregiving quality in diverse family contexts. The school setting may extend the reach of such interventions to families not engaged with clinical services and support collaborative parent–school partnerships. Future research should employ larger, controlled designs, incorporate observational and child outcome measures, and explore scalability across educational contexts. Full article

Background: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) was first legalized in Canada in 2016, with legislation expanding from foreseeable to non-foreseeable natural deaths. A sole underlying medical condition of mental illness is expected to be added in 2027. Although legislation and reporting requirements are federally mandated, the implementation and delivery of MAiD are the responsibility of individual provinces and territories. Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the organization, delivery, and oversight of MAiD programs across provinces and territories in consideration of access, equity, and safeguards. Methods: This study used a mixed methods approach to collect data. A comprehensive and systematic search for published peer reviewed literature on MAiD programs in Canada was conducted along with qualitative interviews with key informants using purposive and snowball sampling. A qualitative descriptive design was used for qualitative data, including content analysis. To facilitate a detailed comparative analysis of MAiD across jurisdictions, separate tables were created for each component or element, organizing the results of the literature review and qualitative analysis by jurisdiction. Patterns within these tables were identified through qualitative interpretation. The findings were then summarized in a narrative format. Results: A total of 113 interviews were conducted, representing all provinces and territories but Nunavut. Findings showed varied practices throughout the MAiD process between jurisdictions. Conclusions: The main findings of this study are that the organization of MAiD programs, oversight, reporting methods to Health Canada, intake, preliminary assessments, assessments, provision, and bereavement support vary. In addition, specific policies related to potentially vulnerable populations are lacking and jurisdictional practices also vary. Centralized, multidisciplinary MAiD programs with strong oversight mechanisms may strengthen issues related to access, equity, and safeguards. Full article

Stone-built cultural heritage sites face significant threats from weathering and environmental stress, leading to structural damage or even total collapse. Consequently, robust monitoring and conservation strategies are essential. This study introduces the Monument Rockfall Risk Assessment (MRRA), a heuristic prioritization framework designed for the rapid ranking of detachment risks in monumental contexts. The MRRA was tested on the Piazzale Michelangelo Ramps in Florence (Italy), which are prone to rockfall hazard due to the presence of unstable blocks made of Pietraforte sandstone. The methodology employs a qualitative-heuristic risk rating approach, considering factors such as joint characteristics, centre of gravity location, and estimated kinetic energy of falling blocks. Susceptibility, vulnerability, and elements at risk were evaluated for each unstable block to calculate a relative risk index, which was then aggregated to determine the overall risk of each coping. The methodology was applied to a recent rockfall event that occurred in 2020 and compared with expert judgement to evaluate the model’s performance in identifying criticalities. Since decisions on defence and restoration works depend on geomechanical, social, and economic factors, this study explores an approach to establish optimal risk rating thresholds for the MRRA methodology, balancing false and missed alarms. Full article

The maize weevil is a major postharvest pest of stored maize, causing substantial quantitative and qualitative grain losses and posing a serious threat to food security. In many regions of the world, particularly in developing countries where maize is a staple crop, maize weevil infestations can account for up to 50% of postharvest maize losses annually. Traditionally, synthetic pesticides have been used to manage maize weevils, but their prolonged application has been associated with environmental contamination, pesticide resistance, and adverse health effects in humans and animals. These challenges have inspired the search for safe, eco-friendly, and bioactive alternatives from natural sources. Citrus plants are among the most widely consumed fruits globally, with their peels and leaves constituting a significant proportion of agricultural waste. These waste products are rich in essential oils, particularly limonene, which has demonstrated potent insecticidal properties against maize weevils. Repurposing citrus waste into biopesticides offers a sustainable strategy for mitigating maize weevil infestations, thereby reducing postharvest maize losses and enhancing food safety and security. This review examines the prospects of citrus limonene in the development of safe and effective maize weevil biopesticides, highlighting its major chemical constituents, biological activities, and mechanisms of action. Full article

Widespread acceptance of collaborative robots in human-involved scenarios requires accessible and intuitive interfaces for lay workers and non-expert users. Existing interfaces often rely on users to plan and issue low-level commands, necessitating extensive knowledge of robot control. This study proposes a multimodal agentic AI framework integrating natural user interfaces (NUIs) to foster effortless human-like partnerships in human–robot collaboration (HRC), which enhance intuitiveness and operational efficiency. First, it allows users to instruct robots using plain language verbally, coupled with gaze, revealing objects precisely. Second, it offloads users’ workload for robot motion planning by understanding context and reasoning task decomposition. Third, coordinating with AI agents built on large language models (LLMs), the system interprets users’ requests effectively and provides feedback to establish transparent communication. This proof-of-concept study included experiments to demonstrate a practical implementation of the agentic AI framework on a mobile manipulation robot in the collaborative task of human–robot wood assembly. Seven participants were recruited to interact with this AI-integrated agentic robotic system. Task performance and user experience metrics were measured in terms of completion time, intervention rate, NASA TLX survey for workload, and valuable insights of practical applications were summarized through a qualitative analysis. This study highlights the potential of NUIs and agentic AI-embodied robots to overcome existing HRC barriers and contributes to improving HRC intuitiveness and efficiency. Full article

Engagement is essential in informal learning contexts, as it fosters meaningful learning, personal relevance, and sustained motivation. However, engagement is a complex construct that requires diverse methodological approaches for accurate assessment. This study empirically examines a multi-method approach, combining questionnaires, log file analyses, and observations, in the context of a tablet-based educational program developed for an exhibition on mobility and traffic. A total of 307 tenth-grade students from 21 classes at twelve state high schools participated in self-regulated learning activities during the museum visit. Findings reveal that each method offers distinct insights: questionnaires capture students’ self-reported engagement, log files track behavioral patterns, and observations provide qualitative evidence of interaction quality. Each method provides valuable, specific insights into student engagement. Thus, integrating multiple approaches yields a more comprehensive understanding of engagement. These results underscore the importance of methodological pluralism and critical reflection when interpreting research findings from different methodological sources in informal learning environments. Full article

Second language (L2) writing, particularly in demanding areas like argumentative discourse, requires learners to effectively manage interpersonal resources such as stance and modality. Despite the centrality of stance in academic literacy, its development in L2 Hebrew writing remains largely underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining how Arabic-speaking learners of Hebrew realize epistemic, deontic, and evaluative stance in their interlanguage writing. Using a qualitative, concept-oriented, function-to-form analytical approach, the analysis examined 92 authentic argumentative essays (11,572 words) produced by L1 Arabic speakers under standardized examination conditions and systematically classified each modal expression into one of three empirically derived interlanguage developmental levels. The findings reveal a clear and consistent developmental progression across all three modal domains. Developmental patterns are inferred from interlanguage variation across proficiency levels rather than tracked longitudinally. Basic-level expressions relied primarily on high-frequency, spoken-like vocabulary and explicit personal opinion markers. Intermediate-level expressions displayed greater lexical variety and a shift toward a more abstract stance but remained marked by morphosyntactic instability and L1 influence, often producing hybrid or non-target-like constructions. Advanced writers effectively deployed idiomatic, low-frequency, and structurally more complex modal constructions aligned with conventions of Hebrew academic writing. Full article

The processes of teaching and learning are primarily humanistic. However, contemporary artificial intelligence (AI) technology has significantly changed these processes. The current qualitative study aimed to explore this phenomenon by investigating the role that chatbots can play as language tutors in improving ESL students’ writing. Specifically, the study investigated students’ perceptions and experiences to assess the influence of ChatGPT-generated written communication on ESL writing improvement. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with undergraduates from the College of Languages and Translation at a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The emerging themes revealed that students held positive perceptions of the chatbot as a tutor, highlighting that collaborative learning with the chatbot facilitated the acquisition of writing skills and increased engagement in the writing process. Findings also showed noticeable improvement in language development, at lexical, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels, as well as in the use of cognitive and metacognitive writing strategies. The study recommends reevaluating traditional writing instruction methodologies and highlights the benefits of integrating AI chatbots into second-language writing pedagogy. Furthermore, the study emphasises students’ need for accessible English-language tutoring, such as chatbots, which provide immediate, real-time writing instruction. The study also addresses the implications of incorporating AI-powered chatbots into writing curricula at Saudi universities. Full article

This article develops the analytical concept of post-liturgical female rituality to examine informal religious practices created by Western Ukrainian female labor migrants in Israel. Drawing on approaches that conceptualize ritual as flexible, embodied, and processual, it focuses on women’s ritual activities that take place in close temporal and symbolic proximity to official church liturgy while remaining outside canonical frameworks. Rather than directly challenging institutional religion, these practices extend and reinterpret patriarchal liturgy through gendered forms of ritual engagement. The analysis is based on qualitative research among Ukrainian Greek Catholic women in Israel, including 27 in-depth interviews, participant observation, and digital ethnography. The findings highlight three interconnected dimensions: collective gatherings following church services; post-liturgical practices involving food, singing, and embodied performance; and national-religious rituals expressing emotional belonging to Ukraine in the context of war. The article argues that post-liturgical female rituals constitute a distinct form of women’s religious agency that operates within institutional Christianity while reworking its meanings, contributing to feminist scholarship on ritual, migration, and war. Full article

Smart mobility is a vital part of a smart city. Autonomous public transport buses are becoming an increasingly noticeable and significant component of smart mobility. This study examines and compares trials of autonomous public transport buses in Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). This research covers the period from 2017 to 2024 and is based on qualitative research methods: case studies, secondary source analysis, conventional content analysis, and comparative analysis. This study found that Estonia was the first among the Baltic countries to begin testing autonomous public transport buses and was the most active, conducting as many as 11 trials. Moreover, Estonia tested autonomous buses at the highest speeds and over the longest distances. Despite relatively promising trials, autonomous public transport buses have encountered certain challenges and disruptions in all three countries. These results suggest that the Baltic States still have room for improvement in the field of smart mobility and autonomous public transport. Full article

This study takes the relevant literature published in the past decade as the research object, screens the literature by setting clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, and systematically reviews the thermal insulation performance, durability, and prospects for engineering applications of bio-based thermal insulation materials by means of qualitative integration and comparative analysis. With the advantages of low energy consumption, renewability, and biodegradability, bio-based thermal insulation materials have emerged as a green alternative to traditional thermal insulation materials. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of such materials, which are classified into two categories: natural biomass (e.g., straw bales and cork boards) and bio-based composites. The core thermal insulation indicators include thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, and thermal storage coefficient, and the performance is affected by factors such as component ratio, pore structure, temperature, and humidity. The thermal conductivity of some bio-based materials is comparable to that of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and mineral wool. In terms of durability, temperature–humidity cycling, corrosion, biological erosion, and mechanical action are the main causes of performance degradation, and composite modification can effectively improve their stability. Current engineering applications face challenges such as thermal insulation performance being susceptible to humidity, poor construction compatibility, high costs, and a lack of relevant standards. Future research should focus on the development of high-performance composite systems, the investigation of long-term durability mechanisms, the innovation of low-cost green preparation technologies, and the establishment of unified standards, so as to promote the large-scale application of bio-based thermal insulation materials in the construction industry and contribute to the achievement of carbon neutrality goals. Full article

The rapid proliferation of large language models has created significant opportunities for personalized education, yet existing systems rarely account for user competency as a determinant of interaction quality. This study introduces Persona in The Loop (PITL), a dual-mode adaptive framework that recommends AI personas for blockchain and smart contract education applications. PITL employs 100 AI personas organized across two domains, ten sub-specialties, and five Dreyfus competency levels, recommending personas via either similarity-based mode grounded in Cognitive Load Theory or complementary mode grounded in the Zone of Proximal Development, with an adaptive switching mechanism driven by NASA-TLX cognitive load feedback. A mixed-method study with 150 participants using a 2 × 5 factorial design showed that the complementary mode produced higher learning gains, while the similarity-based mode yielded lower cognitive load and higher code quality. The adaptive mechanism outperformed both fixed-mode conditions on learning gain and code quality. The Mode × Dreyfus interaction was significant for cognitive load and task duration but not for learning gains, suggesting mode effects on learning outcomes are consistent across competency levels. Qualitative interviews with 20 participants corroborated quantitative findings. PITL offers a theoretically grounded and empirically validated approach to competency-based AI persona recommendation in educational contexts. Full article

Soil salinization severely threatens agricultural sustainability in saline–alkali regions, and high-throughput, efficient screening of salt-tolerant rice varieties is critical to mitigating this threat. Traditional evaluation methods are constrained by low throughput, limited spatiotemporal resolution, and the lack of standardized indicators. To address these gaps, this study established a multi-scale spectral phenotyping framework integrating ground-based hyperspectral, UAV-borne multispectral, and Sentinel-2 satellite remote sensing data for high-throughput screening of salt-tolerant rice. Field experiments were conducted with 12 rice lines at five key growth stages in Ningxia, China, with synchronous ground spectral measurements and UAV image acquisition on the same day for each stage. Five feature selection methods were employed to screen salt stress-sensitive hyperspectral bands, with classification accuracy validated via a Support Vector Machine (SVM) model. The results showed that: (1) rice spectral characteristics varied dynamically across growth stages, and first-order differential transformation effectively amplified subtle spectral variations in stress-sensitive regions; (2) the Minimum Redundancy–Maximum Relevance (mRMR) method outperformed other methods, achieving 100% classification accuracy at key growth stages, with sensitive bands dominated by red edge bands (58.33%); (3) the constructed Salt Stress Index (SIR) showed strong correlations with classical vegetation indices and rice yield, and could clearly distinguish salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive rice varieties, with stable performance against field environmental noise; and (4) band matching between UAV and Sentinel-2 data enabled multi-scale data fusion and regional-scale salt stress monitoring. This framework realizes the transformation from qualitative spectral description to quantitative salt tolerance evaluation, providing standardized technical support for salt-tolerant rice breeding and precision management of saline–alkali lands. Full article

External leakage from valve stem packings is a critical safety and reliability issue in high-pressure hydrogen systems. This work aims to quantify how packing geometry and polymer selection influence stem sealing in a PN650 needle valve (316L body and stem). Two geometries were compared: a conical V-ring (chevron style) stack and a flat three-disc stack. Two polymer material sets were assessed: Vespel^® polyimide (SP-1/SP-21) and a glass-filled PTFE sealing element combined with a virgin PEEK back-up ring. Four assemblies (one per geometry/material combination) were first screened by hydrostatic pressure hold testing up to 1500 bar and by helium mass spectrometer leak measurements under vacuum. All assemblies sustained the hydrostatic overpressure hold with negligible decay. Vacuum helium screening produced leak rates between 3.7 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 9.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ mbar·l·s⁻¹, with the conical V-ring geometry consistently outperforming the disc stack. A more demanding helium test at 700 bar with external vacuum yielded leak rates of 3.6–3.7 × 10⁻⁸ mbar·l·s⁻¹, for conical assemblies. Based on the screening results and practical industrial considerations, the PTFE/PEEK conical configuration was selected for endurance testing and completed 2500 open/close cycles in 650 bar hydrogen without gland readjustment. Post-cycling checks confirmed continued tightness, including a qualitative helium pressure hold result near 700 bar and 0 bubbles in 10 min in the seat tightness test. Microscopy/EDX revealed limited wear with minor metallic transfer. The proposed multi-stage workflow provides a pragmatic route for the early qualification of stem packings for high-pressure hydrogen valves. Full article

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the functioning of the health system, including nursing education, particularly within resource-constrained contexts such as in South Africa. This study explored the lived experiences of nursing students during the COVID-19 period at Lilitha College of Nursing, a public nursing college operating across multiple urban and rural campuses in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological design was employed, guided by the Dimensions of Wellness Framework. Purposive sampling was used to recruit a diverse cohort of nursing students who were registered during the period 2020–2022. Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 20 participants between 1 and 31 October 2025, until data saturation was attained. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated verbatim, and analysed manually using the six phases of thematic analysis. Results: The findings revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected nursing students’ academic progress, mental and physical health, clinical training, and overall well-being, revealing institutional unpreparedness and gaps in support during crisis conditions. Conclusions: The study highlights the need for fair, holistic, and crisis-ready support systems to protect nursing students’ well-being and learning during future emergencies. Full article