Search Results (27)

The problem associated with the manifestation of burnout syndrome is the subject of ongoing interest. In recent years, occupational burnout has been actively studied among professionals in the helping professions (teachers, physicians, social workers, psychologists, prison officers, etc.). However, the phenomenon has been poorly studied among freelancers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to fill this gap by determining the level of burnout syndrome among Bulgarian freelancers and investigate the influence of some work environment factors on professional burnout in the sample. A survey of 1138 freelancers was carried out using the Burnout Self-Assessment Questionnaire developed by Maslach and a questionnaire developed in-house to explore the factors of the occupational environment and ask questions related to socio-demographic factors. Hypotheses are tested using correlation analysis and structural equation modelling. The study reveals high levels of emotional exhaustion (40.91%, n = 484). High values on the scale of depersonalization were reported for 26,3% of the respondents (n = 311). Only 3.1% of the respondents (n = 37) had high values on the reduced personal accomplishment scale. The high levels of burnout among freelancers could be influenced by the specific characteristics of their work environment and the nature of their tasks. Full article

With rapid urbanization, improving school quality in compulsory education is critical for optimal educational resource allocation. This study integrates a random forest machine learning model, GIS spatial analysis, and a spatial econometric model to examine the spatiotemporal differentiation of school quality in Dalian, China, in 2016 and 2020, as well as its relationships with the construction land development cycle, population density, and housing prices. The findings reveal a core–periphery structure, with overall school quality on the rise and basic facility configuration exerting a stronger impact than teacher strength. Among internal resources, per capita sports venue area (PCSFA) and per capita teaching equipment value (PCTRE) contribute most significantly to school quality, while high-quality clusters in traditional educational hubs, university-covered areas, and transitional zones spur improvements in surrounding schools. The population density, housing prices, and the construction land development cycle all positively correlate with school quality, highlighting the need for coordinated action among urban planners, education authorities, and housing regulators to ensure that land development, housing affordability, and school facility investments advance equitable access to quality education. These results provide a novel perspective on compulsory education quality assessment and offer a valuable foundation for guiding education policies and urban development strategies. Full article

The Himalayan country of Nepal is vulnerable to landslides, earthquakes, and fires. Its inhabitants need to be empowered on how to react in emergencies to prevent fatalities and respond to crises efficiently while promoting longer-term sustainability and resilience. This research project, a collaborative effort involving teachers, students, and researchers, highlights the design and implementation of games for disaster risk reduction tested in remote schools. Three interactive games were developed using an iterative game design process and testing in workshops aiming to ensure the inclusivity and diversity of the project. The games targeted preparedness and response to landslides, earthquakes, and house fires. The outcome has proven that the game-based approach to teaching and learning is crucial in empowering underserved school children often left out in formal and informal disaster management processes. This study has shown that game-based learning of disaster preparedness and response effectively empowers resource-deficient communities and regions of the Global South. Full article

Pelliot tibétain 1257, a manuscript discovered in Dunhuang and now housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, contains a Bilingual Tibetan–Chinese glossary that compiles some of the most fundamental Buddhist terminology and vocabulary excerpted from the Saṃdhi-nirmocana-sūtra. The Tibetan terms within this glossary were initially completed by one person, while the Chinese terms were subsequently filled in by three individuals. This vocabulary list may have served as a workbook prepared by a Tibetan teacher for Chinese students learning Tibetan vocabulary. The workbook, with Chinese vocabulary filled in by Chinese students, remained in their possession and use thereafter. The learning of Tibetan by these Chinese individuals in Dunhuang was likely closely related to the Buddhist sutra-copying project initiated by the Tibetan king at that time. Full article

The primary research question driving this paper is the following: “What are the schooling experiences of young people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness?” Through interviews with 28 young people in two cities in Ontario, Canada, the authors identified several common experiences, including the following: lack of available information that could help them cope with their housing difficulties; prejudice and bullying from other students, sometimes stemming from their housing problems but also due to factors such as racialization, gender identity, poverty, and substance use; and individual support from some teachers and support staff, although this was dependent on being in school. They proposed changes to help young people still in school, including the inclusion of non-judgmental information and guidance on dealing with poverty and homelessness in school curricula, educating school staff about the ‘symptoms’ of homelessness to help them identify students at risk, and creating more safe and supportive school environments overall. Full article

Globally, education systems are faced with dual workforce crises: a shortage of teachers and a lack of affordable housing. Attracting and retaining teachers through improved renumeration, working conditions, and quality preparation have been central. However, initiatives to attract and retain teachers mean little if the workforce cannot find appropriate (quality and affordable) housing within commuting distance to their workplaces. The present study undertakes a scoping review of research on the intersection of housing and the school education workforce. Specifically, we examine the volume, variety, and characteristics of evidence through the question of ‘What empirical studies have been published on the relationship between housing and the school education workforce?’ Online databases were used to identify 23 studies published in 2000–2024 from Australia, China, England, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Tanzania, Uganda, the UK, and the USA. Publications drew on a range of methods and housing was rarely the focal unit of analysis. This study finds that beyond establishing unaffordability through salary and housing costs ratios, and the peripheral inclusion of housing issues in studies, there is insufficient published peer reviewed evidence available to purposefully inform and measure interventions. Greater interdisciplinarity is required in research to highlight the complexity of issues at the intersection of housing (availability, affordability, and distance from workplaces) and workforce distribution. More rigorous data should be collected to support robust reporting on the state of housing for the school education workforce to deliver the type of evidence necessary to develop targeted and tailored interventions to improve outcomes for the workforce and ultimately students. Full article

Despite recent notable advancements in highlight image restoration techniques, the dearth of annotated data and the lightweight deployment of highlight removal networks pose significant impediments to further advancements in the field. In this paper, to the best of our knowledge, we first propose a semi-supervised learning paradigm for highlight removal, merging the fusion version of a teacher–student model and a generative adversarial network, featuring a lightweight network architecture. Initially, we establish a dependable repository to house optimal predictions as pseudo ground truth through empirical analyses guided by the most reliable No-Reference Image Quality Assessment (NR-IQA) method. This method serves to assess rigorously the quality of model predictions. Subsequently, addressing concerns regarding confirmation bias, we integrate contrastive regularization into the framework to curtail the risk of overfitting on inaccurate labels. Finally, we introduce a comprehensive feature aggregation module and an extensive attention mechanism within the generative network, considering a balance between network performance and computational efficiency. Our experimental evaluations encompass comprehensive assessments on both full-reference and non-reference highlight benchmarks. The results demonstrate conclusively the substantive quantitative and qualitative enhancements achieved by our proposed algorithm in comparison to state-of-the-art methodologies. Full article

Learning physics can be seen by many as a problem, as the standard method of learning tends to focus on remembering and using concepts that fail to construct meaning. To overcome this problem in teaching rectilinear motion, we implemented multiple representations using a cyber–physical system that enables interaction between a physical model and the real world. We did so by using a microcomputer system housed inside a ball, including motion and force sensors. This system communicated with the teacher’s laptop in order to display the corresponding data via a projector. The study was conducted with 49 tenth-grade students across five sessions on rectilinear motion. Using a pre- and post-test, we observed that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group, both in terms of learning as well as in the development of creativity (fluency and flexibility). With guidance from the teacher, the multiple representations allowed the students to improve their learning and creativity by connecting various forms of representation. In other words, the students were able to connect both abstract and concrete views through a real-world, physical experience. Our study reveals the potential of cyber–physical systems within the teaching–learning process for physics, specifically rectilinear motion, and how such a system supports multiple representations. Full article

The LES Project (LES-Llavor Energètica i Salut. Del cole a casa i a la societat, in English: Energy and Health Seed. From school to home and society) is seen as an opportunity to increase the visibility of the role of science and women scientists in their actual contexts and to present architectural research as essential in mitigating climate change and improving people’s health. The goal of this research was to reach the greatest range of people possible through intergenerational transfer. However, the main receptors and drivers were students aged between 8 and 10 years old who were responsible for transmitting energy and environmental conditioning concepts and their interrelations with strategic performance in buildings. Awareness was raised through scientific workshops implemented in primary schools that had energy and air quality deficiencies and opportunities, and the concepts were extrapolated to housing. Two schools in different socioeconomic districts (vulnerable and middle-income families) were selected as a strategy to provide details about the perceptions of energy benefits in both schools’ families. The results of the experience were highly satisfactory. Children from 8 to 10 years old were interested and ready to understand and transfer key concepts about energy efficiency and health improvement through the transformation of the buildings surrounding them. The dissemination of the project and social awareness reached the primary students of the two schools selected for the project and the entire educational community (students, teachers, families and all of society). Currently, we are working on a second stage that will allow for a broad volume of replicability of the workshops, with schoolteachers taking the lead in these actions. For this purpose, LES has the support of the Department of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Full article

Long-term continuing education programs have been a key factor in shifting toward more patient-centered clinical pharmacy services. This narrative review aims to describe the development of Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) Pharmacy’s in-house Comprehensive Medication Review Training Program (CMRTP) and how it has impacted clinical pharmacy services in HUS. The CMRTP was developed during the years 2017–2020. The program focuses on developing the special skills and competencies needed in comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs), including interprofessional collaboration and pharmacotherapeutic knowledge. The program consists of two modules: (I) Pharmacist-Led Medication Reconciliation, and (II) CMR. The CMRTP includes teaching sessions, self-learning assignments, medication reconciliations, medication review cases, CMRs, a written final report, and a self-assessment of competence development. The one-year-long program is coordinated by a clinical teacher. The program is continuously developed based on the latest guidelines in evidence-based medicine and international benchmarking in cooperation with the University of Helsinki. With the CMRTP, we have adopted a more patient-centered role for our clinical pharmacists and remarkably expanded the services. This program may be benchmarked in other countries where the local education system does not cover clinical pharmacy competence well enough and in hospitals where the clinical pharmacy services are not yet very patient-oriented. Full article

Background: New technologies can facilitate the transition from pre-clinical to clinical settings. We investigate students’ satisfaction with a novel learning method adopted in access cavity exercises. Methods: Students performed their access cavity on inexpensive, in-house 3D printed teeth. Their performances were evaluated by scanning the prepared teeth with an intraoral scanner and visualized using a mesh processing software. Then, the same software was used to align the tooth prepared by the student and the teacher’s one for self-assessment purposes. Students were asked to answer a questionnaire about their experiences with this new learning method. Results: From the teacher’s perspective, this novel learning approach was easy, straightforward and affordable. Overall, student feedback was positive: 73% found that access cavity assessment by scanning was more useful compared to a visual inspection under magnification and 57% reported that they had a better understanding of errors and mishaps. On the other hand, students pointed out that the material used to print teeth was too soft. Conclusion: The use of in-house 3D printed teeth in pre-clinical training is a simple way to overcome some of the drawbacks associated with extracted teeth, such as limited availability, variability, cross-infection control, and ethical constraints. The use of intraoral scanners and mesh processing software could improve student self-assessment. Full article

School nurses can facilitate the inclusion of students with type 1 diabetes (T1D) at school; this model has been widespread in some countries but not in Italy, which is due to the insufficient number of school nurses that are able to provide medical attention at all times. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) devised a series of aids and support for the reorganization of the Italian National Health System (NHS) through the creation of community houses in addition to family and community nurses (FCNs), who will operate in these structures to promote the integration of the various professional figures and community services. In this study, starting with the needs and suggestions of teachers (No. 79) and parents (No. 48) collected using a survey, we developed a new model for the inclusion of students at school where FCNs who have experience in pediatric T1D have the role of an educator, coordinator, and facilitator’ they cannot be on site and available all the time during school hours, so they must make many efforts to improve the school staff’s knowledge, intervene to offer training when requested, and solve new emerging problems. Full article

Consensus has been reached that symptoms of depression can begin as early as preschool. Nevertheless, only few studies have associated environmental (malnutrition) and social factors (poverty condition, access to health systems, etc.) to the onset of depression in preschoolers. The aim of this study was to explore possible associations between malnutrition (underweight, overweight/obesity), poverty status (home quality, overcrowding), access to healthcare systems and the presence of depressive symptoms in the preschoolers of a semi-rural community. In total, 695 children between 3 and 6 years from the municipality of Chiconcuac, Mexico were evaluated for symptoms of depression with the Preschool Depression Scale for Teachers (ESDM 3-6). Additionally, they were assessed for nutritional status and divided into three groups (low weight, normal weight, overweight/obesity), and their parents were asked to fill out a social demographic questionnaire. Malnutrition status OR = 2.702, 95% CI [1.771–4.145]; UW OR = 4.768, 95% CI [2.570–8.795] and OW/OB OR = 1.959, 95% CI [1.175–3.324]; poverty condition per se OR = 1.779, 95% CI [0.9911–2.630]; housing quality OR = 2.020, 95% CI [0.9606–2.659] and overcrowding = 1.619, 95% CI [0.8989–4.433] were associated to a greater risk for children to show depressive symptoms (DS). Access to healthcare was negatively related with the risk of presenting DS (OR = 0.660, 95% CI [0.3130 to 1.360]). Social and environmental factors such as malnutrition, home quality and overcrowding may increase the risk of presenting DS as soon as in preschool. Full article

In this paper, a novel microgrid (MG) concept suitable for direct current (DC) multibus architectures is depicted. Multibus feature is improved in order to distribute power in DC using a number of buses at different voltage level. A teachers offices building that houses several kinds of loads, including a charging station for electric vehicles (EV), is considered to validate the strategy. Several topologies of power electronics converters (PECs) are included in the system to perform specific tasks and providing isolation between bus and final loads. In order to develop the PECs, first, a switching function is used to obtain average model of each converter. Then, converters design is done by using well known methods that allow to obtain parameter values of all the devices in every version of each kind of converter. A hierarchical control is selected to govern the direct current microgrid (DCMG). At a lower control level, local control stage is implemented and tuned using models and designs obtained, with linear controllers in some PECs and classic strategies in others. In higher control level, there is a supervisory strategy that prioritizes the use of generated power to supply the building’s loads. This energy management system (EMS) is based in Petri net theory; it consists of a start-up test, then source condition synchronous algorithm and load condition synchronous algorithm operate the DCMG according to the mentioned priority. Finally, PECs are tested on standalone, performing in closed loop, facing load changes to verify the adequate operation. Some trajectories of a simplified version of the CDMG are tested with local control in order to validate the multibus multivoltage concept. In order to verify coordinated control, some events managed by EMS are presented. Full article

In the post pandemic era, most of the countries are facing challenges in economic recovery, while investing in creative human capital such as teachers by increasing their salaries can be one of the policy options for governments to drive development. Housing price, however, may impact the working of these policies. Using the panel data of 31 provincial regions in China during 2006–2018, we evaluated the relationship between housing price, the improvement in teacher salary, and sustainable regional economic development. From the perspective of imbalanced regional development, we discovered the heterogeneity in the rate of return on education investment in terms of teacher salary. Higher teacher salary plays a more active role in the sustainable development of underdeveloped regions, and the crowding-out effect of housing price in Western China is the most intense. The results further provide some policy implications on efficiently promoting the coordinated development of sustainable regional economies by improving the creative human capital cultivators’ salaries. This paper verifies the significance of housing price dynamics from a new perspective based on educational investment. Overall, our study provides theoretical support for improving teachers’ income to promote regional economic development and further provides guidance for the government to carry out macro control to promote regional economic development with changes in housing price dynamics. Our study aims to link land systems, particularly the housing market, to sustainability and public policy. Full article