Search Results (271)

This article analyzes the long-term relationship between Islam and media in Indonesia through the lens of mediatization. While most research on the mediatization of religion is grounded in Western secular contexts, this study examines how the process unfolds in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, whose religious life and cultural dynamics differ significantly from the Arab world. Using a historical approach, this study traces the evolution of Islamic media from the early twentieth century to the digital era, encompassing prints, broadcast programming, and social media platforms. The findings show that the interaction between Islam and media in Indonesia is a gradual, negotiated transformation shaped by political shifts, technological change, and evolving religious authority. Instead of producing secularization, successive media formats have enabled the continual rearticulation and popularization of Islamic values. New actors such as televangelists and digital preachers have emerged, challenging traditional authorities and prompting adaptations in religious practice to fit media formats and audience expectations. Although commercialization and algorithms sometimes result in a banalized expressions of religion, media developments also create new participatory spaces for religious engagement and personal piety. The study offers a non-Western model of mediatization grounded in Indonesia’s unique media and religious landscape. Full article

Understanding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) within a One Health framework requires examining how human–animal–environment interactions shape bacterial populations, and captive wildlife offers a unique context to explore these dynamics. This study aimed to characterise the phenotypic resistance and virulence profiles of Escherichia coli isolated from faecal samples of captive non-domestic felids housed in a wildlife sanctuary in the United Kingdom and evaluate the influence of captive conditions in E. coli traits. A total of 41 faecal samples were collected from 36 animals representing 11 non-domestic felid species, from which it was possible to obtain 108 E. coli isolates identified using IMViC testing. The isolates were characterised regarding their susceptibility to 12 antibiotics by disc diffusion and screened for the phenotypic expression of six virulence factors, including protease, DNase, gelatinase, lecithinase, haemolysins, and biofilm formation. The highest resistance rates were observed for tetracycline (19.4%) and ampicillin (10.2%), while isolates presented complete susceptibility regarding half of the tested antibiotics. Also, 9.3% of the isolates presented a multidrug-resistant profile. Biofilm formation was the only virulence factor expressed by the isolates under study (8.3%). Significant associations were detected between resistance outcomes and levels of human proximity and enclosure type. These findings suggest that captivity-related factors may influence AMR profiles in wild felids and highlight the importance of continued AMR surveillance and appropriate management practices to reduce selective pressures in captive wildlife. Full article

Geothermal energy is a crucial component of climate adaptation and sustainability transitions, as it provides a dependable, low-carbon source of baseload power that can accelerate sustainable energy transitions and enhance climate resilience. Yet, in East Africa—one of the world’s most promising geothermal regions, with the East African Rift—a unique climate-energy opportunity zone—the harnessing of geothermal power remains slow and uneven. This study examines the contextual conditions that facilitate the successful and sustainable development of geothermal power in the region. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 17 experienced professionals who have worked extensively on geothermal projects across East Africa, the analysis identifies how technical, institutional, managerial, and relational circumstances interact to shape outcomes. The findings indicate an interdependent configuration of success conditions, with structural, institutional, managerial, and meta-conditions jointly influencing project trajectories rather than operating in isolation. The most frequently emphasised enablers were resource confirmation and technical design, leadership and team competence, long-term stakeholder commitment, professional project management and control, and collaboration across institutions and communities. A co-occurrence analysis reinforces these insights by showing strong patterns of overlap between core domains—particularly between structural and managerial factors and between managerial and meta-conditions, highlighting the mediating role of managerial capability in translating contextual conditions into operational performance. Together, these interrelated circumstances form a system in which structural and institutional foundations create the enabling context, managerial capabilities operationalise this context under uncertainty, and meta-conditions sustain cooperation, learning, and adaptation over time. The study contributes to sustainability research by providing a context-sensitive interpretation of how project success conditions manifest in geothermal development under climate transition pressures, and it offers practical guidance for policymakers and partners working to advance SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) in Africa. Full article

Background/Objectives: Within Paediatric Palliative Care (PPC), motherhood in the context of severe cognitive impairment is shaped by unique emotional, relational, and identity-related challenges. Traditional understandings of maternal identity are strained when verbal communication and typical developmental milestones are absent. Although caregiving in PPC has been widely studied, the subjective and symbolic dimensions of motherhood in this setting have received far less attention. This study sought to explore how mothers construct, interpret, and make sense of their maternal identity while caring for a child with severe cognitive impairment in a PPC context, and to underscore the clinical relevance of these identity-related processes. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted involving nine mothers of children receiving paediatric palliative care services at a regional centre in Italy. Participants engaged in three online focus groups, totalling 270 min. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to interpret the transcribed data, using ATLAS.ti software, version 25.0.1 ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany, for support. Member reflections were incorporated to validate the findings. Results: Three interconnected themes emerged from the reflexive thematic analysis. First, mothers described the development of a fusion-like, enmeshed mother–child relationship, characterised by embodied attunement, specialised interpretive expertise, and lifelong care dependency. Second, mothers detailed the construction of their maternal role, shaped by emotional labour, identity negotiation, sacrifice, loneliness, and peer support, alongside the construction of the child’s role, in which children were perceived as unique, symbolically meaningful beings whose social presence and limited reciprocity shaped maternal identity. Third, mothers articulated a search for meaning that sustained them throughout the caregiving journey, reframing their experience within a broader existential and relational perspective. Conclusions: Maternal caregiving in PPC encompasses distinct emotional, relational, and symbolic dimensions that extend beyond conventional understandings of motherhood. Grasping these identity-related dynamics has direct clinical relevance: it enables more attuned communication, strengthens the therapeutic alliance, and supports personalised, meaning-oriented care. These insights highlight the need for tailored interventions and further qualitative research to inform health care professionals and interdisciplinary practice. Full article

Images captured underwater frequently suffer from color casts, blurring, and distortion, which are mainly attributable to the unique optical characteristics of water. Although conventional UIE methods rooted in physics are available, their effectiveness is often constrained, particularly in challenging aquatic and illumination conditions. More recently, deep learning has become a leading paradigm for UIE, recognized for its superior performance and operational efficiency. This paper proposes UCA-Net, a lightweight CNN-Transformer hybrid network. It incorporates multiple attention mechanisms and utilizes composite attention to effectively enhance textures, reduce blur, and correct color. A novel adaptive sparse self-attention module is introduced to jointly restore global color consistency and fine local details. The model employs a U-shaped encoder–decoder architecture with three-stage up- and down-sampling, facilitating multi-scale feature extraction and global context fusion for high-quality enhancement. Experimental results on multiple public datasets demonstrate UCA-Net’s superior performance, achieving a PSNR of 24.75 dB and an SSIM of 0.89 on the UIEB dataset, while maintaining an extremely low computational cost with only 1.44M parameters. Its effectiveness is further validated by improvements in various downstream image tasks. UCA-Net achieves an optimal balance between performance and efficiency, offering a robust and practical solution for underwater vision applications. Full article

In the context of advancing sustainable urban development, the spatial organization of industries plays a critical role in shaping environmental quality, economic vitality, and public health. This study examines the health effects of furniture enterprises agglomeration in Chinese cities, using a unique dataset combining point-of-interest (POI) big data and micro-level survey responses from 13,217 individuals. The results show that a one-unit increase in furniture enterprises agglomeration intensity is associated with a 0.656-unit improvement in physical health and a 0.060-unit improvement in mental health. These benefits are driven by three synergistic mechanisms: environmental improvement, income growth, and enhanced public health services. However, the health gains are unevenly distributed, with greater benefits observed in less-developed cities and among vulnerable groups such as low-skilled and middle-aged workers. We further reveal divergent effects between specialized and diversified agglomeration patterns, moderated by environmental regulation. Our findings underscore the need for health-oriented industrial policies that align with sustainable urban planning, emphasizing spatial adaptation, targeted support for vulnerable populations, and innovative regulatory approaches to foster both industrial growth and resident well-being. Full article

Background/Objectives: Maternal mental health concerns are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, disproportionately impacting Black mothers in the United States. Structural racism and social determinants of health contribute to increased risks of perinatal mental health issues, limited access to formal services, and adverse health outcomes for Black mothers. While formal mental health services are underutilized, Black mothers employ a variety of culturally relevant and context-specific strategies to support their mental health. This study seeks to understand the barriers, preferences, and experiences that guide their decision-making and inform culturally responsive care. Methods: This qualitative study employed thematic analysis of in-depth interviews conducted with 12 Black mothers aged 20–39 residing in a midwestern metropolitan area. The research explored individual experiences, preferences for support, and perspectives on healthcare to identify pathways for advancing mental health equity. Results: Three major themes emerged: (1) Expanding conceptions of mental health support beyond traditional services, emphasizing preferences for culturally congruent, convenient, and stress-decreasing interventions; (2) The salience of past experiences and identities in shaping support preferences and decisions; (3) What healthcare professionals can do, the knowledge and skills healthcare professionals can gain, and the actions that they can to become more helpful to Black mothers. The importance of healthcare professionals embodying nonjudgmental, patient, and caring attributes, as well as strengths-based, culturally responsive approaches in care. Conclusions: Advancing mental health equity for Black mothers requires increased awareness of existing disparities, barriers to care, and the strengths embedded within their communities. This research provides actionable insights for healthcare providers, policy makers, and researchers to identify, assess, and respond to the unique needs of Black mothers through culturally responsive and participatory approaches. Findings have implications for intervention design, theory development, and policy reform to improve mental health outcomes. Full article

Encoder–decoder models are widely used for pixel-level segmentation due to their ability to capture and combine multiscale features. However, skip connections between the encoder and decoder often require cropping to mitigate border pixel loss during convolutions, which can introduce inefficiencies and limit performance. This study explores the potential of modifying these connections by removing direct encoder-to-decoder links to enhance segmentation accuracy. We propose a novel architecture, termed XCC-Net, which features two context-capturing pathways and two symmetric pathways for enlargement. These pathways are interconnected via channels, enabling automated detection of structures with varied shapes. The XCC-Net’s X-shaped architecture links skip connections exclusively between encoder-to-encoder and decoder-to-decoder, omitting direct encoder-to-decoder feature transfers to potentially improve performance. The XCC-Net model was evaluated on multiple medical imaging datasets, including wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE), colonoscopy, and dermoscopy images. Experimental results showed that XCC-Net outperformed state-of-the-art segmentation models, achieving dice coefficients of 91.70%, 89.26%, 87.15%, and 79.07% on the MICCAI 2017 (Red Lesion), PH2, CVC-ClinicDB, and ISIC 2017 datasets, respectively. XCC-Net’s X-shaped architecture, with its unique skip connections, demonstrates improved segmentation performance across various medical imaging tasks. Full article

This study investigates the role of family involvement and succession planning in shaping the long-term sustainability of family businesses in Indonesia, with a specific focus on the mediating effect of transgenerational entrepreneurial orientation (TEO). This research responds to calls for integrative models that move beyond examining these factors in isolation. Indonesia offers a unique context due to its dominance of family-controlled firms and informal succession traditions, which shape entrepreneurial value transmission across generations. A quantitative approach was employed using survey data from 210 respondents representing active family businesses in Indonesia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0 was used to test reliability, validity, and structural relationships. Additional analyses included HTMT for discriminant validity, CVPAT for predictive relevance, and importance–performance map analysis (IPMA) to identify managerial priorities. The results reveal that family involvement and succession planning both exert significant positive effects on long-term family business sustainability, with TEO playing a mediating role. Family involvement strongly enhances both sustainability and entrepreneurial orientation, while succession planning contributes more indirectly through the development of TEO. The IPMA indicates that family leadership in governance and openness to innovation are highly important but underperforming drivers, suggesting key areas for improvement. The model explains 51.9% of the variance in TEO and 48.6% in long-term sustainability, with significant mediation paths (β = 0.092–0.104, p < 0.05). The cross-sectional design limits causal inference, and the focus on Indonesian firms may constrain generalizability to other cultural contexts. Future research could adopt longitudinal and cross-country comparative designs while also examining the role of digital transformation and generational differences in sustaining family firms. The findings highlight the need for Indonesian family firms to professionalize succession planning while strengthening transgenerational entrepreneurial orientation. Practical steps include formal mentoring, clear successor criteria, and embedding innovation and proactiveness in family governance. This study extends the family business literature by conceptualizing TEO as a dynamic capability that bridges family involvement, succession planning, and sustainability. By integrating these perspectives, it offers a more comprehensive understanding of how family firms can achieve resilience and continuity across generations. Full article

Farmers face disproportionately high levels of stress, which has implications for their mental health and well-being. Notably, existing measures of farm stress have not attended to variations in stress based on identity-related experiences. This study investigated the factor structure of the Farm/Ranch Stress Inventory (FRSI) among LGBTQ+ farmers in the United States to see whether the factors were consistent with previous studies. We surveyed the experiences of 148 LGBTQ+ farmers from across the U.S. and used principal components analysis to analyze the factor structure of the FRSI. A scree plot, parallel analysis, variance explained, and interpretability factors were considered to determine the best-fitting solution. Our analysis revealed a six-component structure: Family and Finances, Operational Challenges and Sustainability, Long-Term Farming Viability, Social and Safety Dynamics, Logistical Circumstances, and Cultural Isolation, which diverged from the original five-factor model of Finances, Government and External Stress, Work Stress, Operation Stress, and Isolation. This study highlights that measures of stress must consider the unique contexts that may shape the experiences of farm stress among diverse populations. The results suggest that future measures of farm stress used with LGBTQ+ farmers might consider cultural and social factors in particular to better understand their experiences of stress. Full article

The rapid rise of the pre-loved luxury fashion market in China reflects a unique shift in consumer behaviour, shaped by growing concerns for sustainability, affordability, and personal expression. While global scholarship on circular fashion has expanded, studies remain predominantly focused on Western consumers, leaving Chinese market dynamics underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining the motivations and channel engagement of Chinese consumers purchasing pre-loved luxury fashion, including pre-owned, vintage, and collectors’ items. A sequential mixed-methods design was employed, integrating quantitative data from a survey of 438 Chinese consumers with qualitative insights from 21 semi-structured interviews. Structural equation modelling revealed that economic, individual, and social motivations significantly influenced perceived value, which in turn enhanced engagement with resale channels. Functional motivations, though present, played a less prominent role. Furthermore, engagement with online and offline channels, including social media platforms, livestream commerce, and luxury consignment boutiques, was found to mediate the relationship between perceived value and purchase intention. The study contributes to theory by adapting established luxury value frameworks to the pre-loved context and by introducing channel engagement as a mediating construct in the consumption of second-hand luxury fashion. The main theoretical frameworks that underpin the study, such as the Brand Luxury Index and the Four Value Dimensions, are used to provide a clearer understanding of its conceptual foundation. In particular, some key quantitative indicators, such as β-values or R², would make the summary more specific and informative. Practically, the findings provide actionable insights for platform operators and luxury brands seeking to build consumer trust and enhance experiential value in China’s rapidly evolving resale market. By situating the research within a culturally specific and digitally advanced retail environment, the study broadens understanding of circular luxury fashion consumption in non-Western contexts. Full article

In the history of Turkish-Islamic culture, every stage of human life—from birth to death—has been ritualized with profound symbolic and spiritual meanings. Turkish religious music has functioned as a fundamental element in these transitional phases, possessing both aesthetic and devotional dimensions. In individual rites of passage such as naming, circumcision, beginning school, and marriage, as well as in collective rituals such as bidding farewell to and welcoming Hajj pilgrims or observing religious days and nights, Turkish religious music has held a significant place. Confronting death—an inevitable and sorrowful reality of life—Turkish society has employed religious music as a consolatory and spiritually guiding medium, transforming it into a ritual mode of expression intended to soften the disruptive impact of death and to give meaning to the mourning process. Sufi order funerals represent one of the manifestations of this aesthetic depth. In this context, (Janāza) funeral ceremonies are not merely occasions of farewell but also rites of metaphysical acceptance and surrender. Since death is considered not an end but “wuṣlat,” that is, reunion with the Absolute Truth (al-Ḥaqq), within Sufi thought, the funeral rites of Sufi orders have been shaped accordingly. In Mawlawī, Bektāshī, Jarrahī, and Rifāʿī orders, not only the canonical funeral prayer (ṣalāt al-janāza) but also various forms of religious music are performed, imparting both aesthetic and spiritual depth to the ceremony. This study aims to examine the religious musical practices present in the funeral ceremonies of these four major Sufi orders, all of which have historically maintained a close relationship with music. A qualitative ritual-musicological approach has been adopted; semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Shaykh of the Rifāʿī order, the Zakirbaşı of the Jarrahī branch of the Khalwatī order, and a Dede of the Bektāshī order. The data sources of the study consist of interview materials, archival-based works, literature on the history of Sufism, sources on Turkish religious music, and digital recordings of Sufi orders’ funeral rituals. The limited number of interviews were analyzed through thematic analysis, while textual analysis and contextual interpretation were employed to examine in detail “the musical forms, thematic structures, performance contexts, and symbolic functions” present in these rituals. Preliminary findings indicate that the music unique to Sufi order funerals fulfills multiple functions, including “spiritual consolation, strengthening social solidarity, doctrinal expression of belief in the afterlife, and transforming mourning into a sacred experience.” The funeral traditions of the four orders examined possess distinctive musical structures, and these structures constitute an identifiable aesthetic form within the Ottoman and Turkish religious-musical tradition. It has also been determined that the repertory performed in Sufi orders’ funeral ceremonies is largely rooted in the tekke (Sufi lodge) musical tradition and that various forms of Turkish religious music are prominently represented in these rituals. This study has brought to light the religious musical repertory performed within the funeral rituals of Sufi orders—an area that has remained insufficiently explored to date—and has demonstrated that this repertory exerts positive psychosocial effects on both Sufi adherents and other participants in their approach to death. In this respect, the study sheds light on the repertory of Turkish religious music and offers an original contribution to the scholarly literature. Full article

LGBTQ₊ adolescents experience disproportionately high rates of depression globally, yet little is known about how these experiences are shaped by Thailand’s unique cultural context. This study addresses this gap by examining how Thai LGBTQ₊ adolescents understand and navigate depression, identity development, and culturally shaped support systems. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted with a sample of 20 Thai LGBTQ₊ adolescents from rural regions. Thematic analysis identified three interrelated themes: (1) struggles with self-discovery, acceptance, and their relationship to depression; (2) living with depression and moving forward; and (3) the need for acceptance and understanding. Findings demonstrate that cultural norms—particularly family obligations, conditional acceptance, and collectivist expectations—intensify depression and shape help-seeking, coping, and identity development. The study highlights the need for culturally responsive mental-health interventions that integrate gender-diversity awareness, family education, LGBTQ₊-affirming school environments, and confidential support options. These findings suggest new, context-specific evidence for designing culturally responsive mental-health interventions for LGBTQ₊ adolescents in Thailand. Full article

Mobile games have become one of the fastest-growing segments of the digital economy, and in-app advertisements represent a major source of revenue while shaping consumer attention and memory processes. This study examined the relationship between visual attention and brand recall of in-app advertisements in a mobile sports game using mobile eye-tracking technology. A total of 79 participants (47 male, 32 female; Mage = 25.8) actively played a mobile sports game for ten minutes while their eye movements were recorded with Tobii Pro Glasses 2. Areas of interest (AOIs) were defined for embedded advertisements, and fixation-related measures were analyzed. Brand recall was assessed through unaided, verbal-aided, and visual-aided measures, followed by demographic comparisons based on gender, mobile sports game experience and interest in tennis. Results from Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) revealed that brand placement was the strongest predictor of recall (p < 0.001), overriding raw fixation duration. Specifically, brands integrated into task-relevant zones (e.g., the central net area) achieved significantly higher recall odds compared to peripheral ads, regardless of marginal variations in dwell time. While eye movement metrics varied by gender and interest, the multivariate model confirmed that in active gameplay, task-integration drives memory encoding more effectively than passive visual salience. These findings suggest that active gameplay imposes unique cognitive demands, altering how attention and memory interact. The study contributes both theoretically by extending advertising research into ecologically valid gaming contexts and practically by informing strategies for optimizing mobile in-app advertising. Full article

Surrealism applies metaphors to create a vocabulary of contexts and scenes. Can AI interpret surrealism? What occurs if a negative prompt is input for 3D reconstruction? This study aims to generate surreal images in AI and to assess the subsequent 3D reconstructed models as an exemplification of context. This AI interpretation study uses 87 sets of conflicting prompts to generate images with novel 3D structural and visual details. Eight characteristic 3D models were selected with geometric features modified by functions, such as the reduction in noise, to identify the changes made to the original shape, with upper and lower bounds of between 92.11% and 47.89% for area and between 20.51% and 1.46% for volume, which indicates structural details. This study creates a unique numeric identity of surreal images upon 3D reconstruction in terms of the relative % of the changes made to the original shape. AI can create a connection between 2D surreal imagination and the 3D physical world, in which the images and models are also appropriate for video morphing, situated elaboration in AR scenes, and verified 3D RP prints. Full article