Search Results (840)

Background/Objectives: Empathy and emotional regulation (susceptibility and resistance) play an important role in a nurse’s well-being and the provision of high-quality care. This phenomenon has not yet been studied in the context of nurses working in neuroscience. This study aimed to explore the perceptions related to empathy among nurses working in neuroscience contexts. Methods: Employing a mixed-methods approach, we conducted an online quantitative survey with 211 nurses working in various neuroscience settings using the Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES) and 15 online semistructured qualitative interviews to delve deeper into empathetic experiences. The mean and measures of dispersion, such as standard deviation, were used to analyze the quantitative data. Thematic analysis investigated qualitative data, and data triangulation was performed. Results: The quantitative findings revealed no significant differences in empathy or emotional regulation across the different neuroscience settings but highlighted an increase in susceptibility related to young age (under 29) and years of service (first 5 years). The interviews brought to light the challenges nurses face in highly emotional situations and the strategies they employ to manage empathy and maintain professional detachment, such as self-care strategies, awareness development, and team support. One hindering factor is managers. Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the essential role of empathetic capability in nursing care in neuroscience. The experience of younger nurses and the first 5 years of employment are elements to be considered by managers for burnout risk. Nurses demonstrate susceptibility and resistance and maintain a balance in dealing with high-emotional-stress situations. The implications of these findings are significant and should guide future research and practice in the field of neuroscience nursing. Full article

With increasing industrial sophistication and complexity, workplaces are increasingly prone to occupational accidents, causing negative impacts on workers and employers, including economic losses and decreased productivity. South Korea occupational safety and health has implemented new policies addressing potential risks to overcome stagnation in industrial accident reduction and predict site accidents from past cases. Cases are human-classified according to rules, including occurrence type or original causal materials. However, human errors, subjective judgments, synonyms, and terms incorrectly used by classifiers reduce original data quality and impede developments or applications of policies, technologies, and methods preventing accidents based on past accidents. This study proposes three artificial intelligence models to objectively classify the occurrence type of accident cases. Models are developed based on a natural language processing model (KoBERT), which considers Korean language characteristics. Each model is tested by sequentially performing sentence preprocessing, keyword replacement, and morphological analysis. The proposed Model 3 exhibits 93.1% accuracy, which was the highest among tested models. Up to three classification categories for occurrence type are allowed to assist objective classification. The accident case-based occurrence type classification model is effective for industrial accident prevention, aiding in strategy development and reducing social costs. Full article

Background and Objectives: Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder affecting approximately 14% of the global population. Beyond physical pain, migraines significantly impact individuals’ quality of life, influencing education, employment, and income levels. Topiramate, a second-generation antiepileptic medication, has demonstrated notable efficacy in reducing the occurrence of chronic migraine. Over the past three decades, extensive research has implicated the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in migraine pathogenesis. Erenumab, the first FDA-approved CGRP inhibitor, received approval in 2018. This study aims to compare the clinical efficacy of Erenumab and Topiramate for migraine prevention. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with episodic or chronic migraine over a 12-month period, comparing Erenumab (n = 52) and Topiramate (n = 56). Outcomes assessed included changes in the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) scores from baseline over the last three months of treatment and the proportion of patients achieving a ≥50% reduction in MIDAS scores by the end of the study. Results: The Erenumab group showed significant improvement, with nearly 79% of patients achieving a 50% reduction in their MIDAS score, with a mean reduction of 3.76. Notably, only two patients (3.8.5) discontinued treatment due to adverse events. In contrast, the Topiramate group had over 15% of patients achieve a 50% reduction in MIDAS scores, with a mean reduction of 5.89, and a had discontinuation rate of 14.2% due to adverse events. Conclusions: Both Topiramate and Erenumab are effective for migraine prevention. However, Topiramate has lower tolerability and more side effects, while Erenumab offers better tolerability and safety at a higher cost. Treatment decisions should be individualized based on patient needs, efficacy, safety, and cost considerations. Full article

In the era of digitalisation, the construction industry is fast embracing digital technology, which evolved from Industry 4.0 (fourth industrial revolution [4IR]). Built environment programmes (BEPs) are expected to meet the needs of the digitalisation era via Education 4.0. Education 4.0 aims to transform education’s future with diverse digital automation and innovative paedagogical procedures. Studies concerning Education 4.0 in Nigeria’s BEPs are scarce. Hence, this study aims to appraise Education 4.0 and investigate the perceived issues facing implementing Education 4.0 in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), using BEPs as a case study. The findings intend to improve Education 4.0 implementation practices in BEPs. Data were sourced from 40 participants across Nigeria for better coverage and representation via a semi-structured interview approach. The participants were knowledgeable about Education 4.0 and Nigeria’s BEPs. This study adopted a thematic analysis of the virtually collected data and presented the findings in themes. This study shows that Education 4.0 implementation in Nigeria’s BEPs is lax and should be overhauled to improve achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)—quality education—and other related SDGs. The findings reveal that improved Education 4.0 can enhance the achievement of SDG 4. The findings cluster the perceived 18 hindrances facing Education 4.0 implementation into three main groups. Also, the findings proffer feasible measures to improve Education 4.0 implementation in Nigeria’s HEIs, using BEPs as a case study, via improved transformative competencies, technological advancement, innovative paedagogical procedures, and stakeholders’ collaboration to improve achieving SDG 4. The proposed framework could assist in creating new values and transforming the students’ BEP competencies via stakeholder collaboration and Education 4.0 for the private sector (future talents’ beneficiary), thus fostering their employability. Full article

Background: Adults with type 2 diabetes are at a greater probability of suffering from mental health issues, which could result in a substantial effect on their HRQoL (health-related quality of life). Thus, the focus of this research was to investigate the relationship between comorbid anxiety, depression, and HRQoL among individuals with type 2 diabetes. Methods: Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2016 to 2021 were used to identify adult patients with type 2 diabetes diagnoses for this research. The MEPS used the SF-12 to measure HRQoL. The study employed multivariable linear regression to analyze the association between anxiety, depression, and HRQoL in individuals with type 2 diabetes, taking into consideration several confounding variables such as age, gender, and comorbidities. Results: This study included 5259 individuals with type 2 diabetes, of which the mean age was 52.9 years, 50.7% were men, and 49.3% were women. The findings from this sample show a negative relationship between anxiety, depression, and type 2 diabetic patients’ HRQoL. It shows that after adjusting for other factors, diabetes patients with depression (MCS: = −6.817), anxiety (MCS: = −4.957), and both (MCS: = −0.344) have a significantly poorer HRQoL than those without these mental health comorbidities (p-value < 0.001). It also demonstrated the adverse effects on HRQoL of having coexisting chronic illnesses like heart disease, hypertension, and other chronic illnesses, along with a low socioeconomic status. Additionally, it revealed the benefits of employment, education, and regular exercise for HRQoL. Conclusions: The study’s findings highlight the links between anxiety, depression, and type 2 diabetes patients’ poor HRQoL. It also showed the adverse effects of coexisting chronic diseases and low socioeconomic status on HRQoL and the benefit of work and exercise on HRQoL. These findings can help policymakers to reform healthcare and enforce the early detection and treatment of anxiety and depression to enhance the HRQoL of type 2 diabetic patients. Full article

The by-products of the extraction of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) concentrated juice may represent a functional food ingredient for white chocolate production, as a rich source of bioactive compounds. The effects of six treatments derived from the factorial combination of two types of by-products (with oil or without oil) and three different concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%), were assessed on rheological, quality, colour, antioxidant, and mineral properties of chocolate. The 15% addition of full powder led to the highest values of max firmness, total shear energy, shear energy, cohesiveness, gummosity, dry matter, and ABTS, compared to the untreated control, but the two highest concentrations of the oil-deprived powder resulted in the protein content increasing. The full powder addition always raised fat levels. Both the ‘L’ and ‘a’ colour component as well as total carotenoids, β-carotene, lycopene, and vitamin C increased with the rise of H. rhamnoides powder addition, compared to the untreated control. The opposite trend was shown by the ‘b’ colour component and pH, whereas polyphenols and antioxidant activity attained higher values with the oil-deprived powder. The content of potassium decreased upon the 15% addition of the Hippophae rhamnoides by-product powder, compared to the untreated control, whereas calcium and magnesium increased. The 15% H. rhamnoides full powder elicited the augmentation of phosphorus content in chocolate, compared to the untreated control, contrary to the effect of the oil-deprived powder on P and Zn. The employment of SBB by-products highlights the great potential for manufacturing innovative functional foods with high nutritional value, such as chocolate. Full article

Every country in the world, except for African nations, faces significant challenges due to the increasing older population, with China being particularly affected. This issue is more pronounced in rural areas compared to urban centers. To better understand consumer attitudes and willingness to pay (WTP) for age-friendly retrofitting and to identify industry development shortcomings, this study designed a retrofitting scenario and organized a questionnaire survey to collect WTP and its influencing factors from respondents in the Wuhu area of Anhui Province, China. This study determined the retrofit cost to be CNY 12,224.4 and found that over 80% of respondents intended to pursue age-friendly retrofitting. The analysis results indicated that respondents’ education level, perceived psychological benefits, and perceived social benefits were positively correlated with their WTP. Additionally, education level, monthly personal income, and choice of retirement area positively influenced retrofitting budgets, whereas age bracket, employment status, and perceived situational risk negatively influenced them. The study’s findings will assist consumers in making informed retrofitting decisions and support the government in formulating appropriate policies to enhance the quality of rural residential environments and improve the living standards of the elderly. Full article

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and sociodemographic and clinical variables in survivors of head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiotherapy, with or without surgery. Materials and Methods: HRQoL was measured using the functional assessment of cancer therapy—head and neck (FACT-H&N) in a cross-sectional survey involving 150 patients. Of these, 60 had nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), treated exclusively with radiotherapy, while 90 had oral cavity squamous cell cancer (OSCC), undergoing radical surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Key variables included cancer type, age, gender, partnership status, education, and employment, with additional clinical variables assessed in patients with OSCC. Statistical analyses included multiple regression, ANOVA, and t-tests to explore relationships between variables and HRQoL. Results: Cancer type, surgical treatment, and employment status emerged as significant independent predictors of HRQoL in HNC patients. Patients with NPC reported better HRQoL on three FACT-H&N subscales—social/family well-being, functional well-being, and additional concerns—compared to patients with OSCC. Unemployed individuals exhibited lower HRQoL on four subscales. In patients with OSCC, partnership status and segmental mandibulectomy were found to predict HRQoL independently. Conclusions: This study concludes that cancer type, surgical intervention, and employment status notably influence HRQoL among HNC patients undergoing radiotherapy. In addition, partnership status is a key factor affecting HRQoL in patients with OSCC. Full article

It is shown how the Correlated Traits Correlated Methods Minus One (CTC(M − 1)) Multitrait-Multimethod model for cross-classified data can be modified and applied to divergent thinking (DT)-task responses scored for miscellaneous aspects of creative quality by several raters. In contrast to previous Confirmatory Factor Analysis approaches to analyzing DT-tasks, this model explicitly takes the cross-classified data structure resulting from the employment of raters into account and decomposes the true score variance into target-specific, DT-task object-specific, rater-specific, and rater–target interaction-specific components. This enables the computation of meaningful measurement error-free relative variance-parameters such as trait-consistency, object–method specificity, rater specificity, rater–target interaction specificity, and model-implied intra-class correlations. In the empirical application with alternate uses tasks as DT-measures, the model is estimated using Bayesian statistics. The results are compared to the results yielded with a simplified version of the model, once estimated with Bayesian statistics and once estimated with the maximum likelihood method. The results show high trait-correlations and low consistency across DT-measures which indicates more heterogeneity across the DT-measurement instruments than across different creativity aspects. Substantive deliberations and further modifications, extensions, useful applications, and limitations of the model are discussed. Full article

Whilst research on Wasta has been improving in quantity and quality, there is still much more to know about the interactions between the different parties in Wasta transactions, the role of power in this process and how it impacts HR functions. As such, this research aims to address this gap by exploring the use of Wasta in human resources (HR) functions, drawing on 17 semi-structured interviews with HR, recruitment and line managers working in the Jordanian banking sector. This paper focuses on the roles of trust and power in the organizational transactions in which Wasta is positioned and identifies recruitment and selection (R&S) as one of the main human resource (HR) practices and procedures that are affected by Wasta. The findings shed light on the impact of Wasta on HRM practice on the micro and macro levels, highlighting the complex socio-economic needs for this practice which, whilst they might be beneficial on the micro level in terms of securing employment for job seekers and benefits for organizations in the Wasta exchange process, can also have some substantive negative outcomes in the forms of social and economic exclusion of others outside the Wasta network. By doing so, it develops the conceptualization beyond the often-simplistic view of Wasta as a negative (and sometimes positive) practice as viewed by previous research extending it to a practice that could have either impact on different stakeholders. Full article

The green, low-carbon transition is a broad and profound change. The low-carbon city pilot policy (LCCP) is one of the most important strategies in China, aimed at dealing with climate change and realizing the green, low-carbon transition. Therefore, a quantitative evaluation of the implementation effect of the pilot policy is conducive to better promoting low-carbon work in the pilot areas. Based on 283 cities in China from 2005 to 2021, this paper constructs a double-difference model to empirically test the implementation effect, long-term mechanisms, and industrial upgrading of the pilot policy. The results show that the LCCP significantly promotes high-quality economic development and employment stability. After a series of robustness and endogenic tests, the conclusions in this study are still valid. Further analysis of the findings in this paper shows that the pilot programs promote the optimization and upgrading of industrial structures. The mediating effect shows that the LCCP has established three long-term mechanisms: developing alternative industries, expanding the level of openness, and promoting innovation. The heterogeneity analysis shows that the pilot policy’s implementation effect is more significant in cities located in central and western regions, as well as in non-resource-based cities. This study proposes the continuation of the promotion and implementation of the pilot policy, an increase in financial funds and policy support, the need to strengthen the labor market’s adaptability and protection mechanisms, the adaptation to local conditions to promote policy implementation, and the need to step up efforts to publicize pilot policies. Full article

Tourism has emerged as a pivotal element of China’s economic development, particularly within its coastal cities. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of China’s coastal city tourism economic development, focusing on 53 coastal cities. Through a meticulous combination of literature analysis and data crawling, a robust database is constructed, encompassing tourism resources and revenues. This study delineates the spatial–temporal evolution pattern of China’s coastal city tourism development and employs geo-detector methods to quantitatively analyze the impact factors driving this evolution. Key findings reveal distinct trends in the coastal tourism economy of China from 2009 to 2019, characterized by spatial stability, similar trends in adjacent spatial units, and localized spatial structures. Notably, factors such as actual foreign investment, the presence of star-rated guesthouses, tourism industry employment, airport activity, and import–export trade volume exert significant influence on the domestic tourism economy. Similarly, tourism employment, airport activity, availability of star-rated hotels, import–export trade, and utilization of foreign capital emerge as influential factors shaping inbound tourism. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for government intervention to optimize tourism development strategies for coastal cities. This entails balancing resource exploitation with environmental protection and enhancing the quality of tourism services, fostering sustainable growth and long-term prosperity. Full article

Background/Objectives: Brain tumor patients confront numerous challenges arising from diagnosis and treatment, and these impact the patient’s physical, mental, and social functions at all levels. Primary informal caregivers assume a pivotal role in home-based patient care. Of particular importance are the coping strategies employed by family caregivers, as they can influence both their own health and the overall quality of home care. This study aimed to explore the associations among family function, caregiving competence, and coping strategies among primary informal caregivers. Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional correlational design and convenience sampling to survey the primary informal caregivers of 111 brain tumor patients. The study instruments included the Family Assessment Device General Function, Caregiving Competence Scale, and Revised Ways of Coping Checklist. Results: The findings of this study revealed a significant positive correlation between the family function of primary informal caregivers and their employment of emotion-focused coping (r = 0.209, p < 0.05). Furthermore, caregiving competence exhibited a positive association with problem-focused coping (r = 0.242, p < 0.05) and emerged as a significant predictor of problem-focused coping (β = 0.182, p < 0.05). However, neither family function (r = 0.059, p < 0.05) nor caregiving competence (r = 0.031, p < 0.05) demonstrated significant associations with total coping strategies. Conclusions: The findings of this study affirmed that enhancing the caregiving competence of primary informal caregivers of brain tumor patients can facilitate the adoption of problem-focused coping strategies. Full article

The multiple changes in population, economy, and social structure have significantly impacted China’s traditional home-based elderly care and social welfare. The importance of institutional care is becoming increasingly prominent. One of the critical considerations for the development of institutional care is its social sustainability, which pursues the realization of human well-being and aims to bring about good quality of life. However, this issue has not received due attention. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the social sustainability of the institutional care environment. Based on stakeholder theory and content analysis, this research identified and discussed the problems of the institutional care environment mentioned in the news coverage on eight major Chinese portal websites. The results indicate that seven of the eight problems that employees, the elderly, and their relatives encounter in providing and receiving elderly care services in the institutional environment are related to social sustainability. Employees’ health and safety is a concern; they lack education and training opportunities and have been unequally treated in the employment process. The elderly’s psychological, physical, and safety needs should also be further satisfied. Unequal access to institutional care and the inaccessibility of elderly care institutions is another problem that needs to be solved urgently. These findings will help government departments and investors become aware of the issues and implement countermeasures to create a successful, socially sustainable institutional care environment. They can also provide valuable insights for the elderly and their relatives in choosing appropriate elderly care institutions. Full article

In recent decades, the literature on food risk has grown significantly. Consumers are increasingly interested in being informed about the relationship between the food they purchase, their health, and current sustainability goals. In this study, university students’ opinions on food quality attributes were collected through a survey in search of emerging common traits and taking into account the students’ socio-demographic characteristics. The sample for the analysis consists of 5133 students enrolled at the University of Turin (Italy), whose perceptions of food risk are analyzed using hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis. The results reveal the existence of four clusters within the surveyed student population: “Detached”, “Warranty-oriented”, “Inattentive”, and “Made in Italy-oriented”. In particular, the analysis shows a significant influence of age, education level, income, and employment on students’ preferences concerning the purchasing process and food safety. The results also provide some suggestions to stakeholders, underlying the necessity to strengthen the knowledge of the origin of food products and the awareness of the challenges of the global–local food system. Full article