Search Results (1,208)

Addressing the pressing global challenge of environmental sustainability, this study investigates novel pathways through which egoistic motivations—specifically personal health benefits, economic advantages, and perceived social status—influence green purchasing behavior among Chinese consumers. Employing an integrated approach that combines the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and self-identity theory (SIT), the research analyzes data from 361 Chinese consumers using advanced statistical techniques, including structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings reveal unique insights: personal health benefits and economic advantages emerge as significant drivers of green purchasing behavior, while perceived social status exerts an indirect effect through symbolic benefits. This study breaks new ground by demonstrating the dual mediating role of symbolic and functional benefits in linking egoistic motivations to green purchasing behavior. The results underscore the importance of developing marketing strategies that highlight personal health and economic savings, complemented by symbolic benefits, to effectively promote green products. Policymakers are encouraged to incorporate these nuanced motivations when designing incentives and regulations to enhance sustainable consumption practices. Full article

Emerging adulthood, characterized by identity exploration and optimism for the future, provides a unique context for examining the interactions between psychological and environmental factors that shape career perceptions. Positive future thinking, defined as the ability to imagine and plan long-term goals, is associated with greater resilience and adaptability. Simultaneously, environmental concern emerges as a critical driver of values and perceptions, reflecting commitment to social and environmental well-being. Sustainable careers that integrate personal growth, well-being, and contributions to societal goals are increasingly relevant at this stage of life. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of environmental concern in the relationship between positive future thinking and sustainable career perceptions in a sample of 266 Italian emerging adults (ages 18–29, M = 22.25, SD = 2.21). Structural equation modeling indicated that the hypothesized mediation model fit the data well. The results revealed significant direct effects of positive future thinking on both environmental concern and sustainable career perceptions, as well as a significant indirect effect through environmental concern. These findings highlight the psychological pathways linking positive future thinking, environmental concern, and sustainable career perceptions and provide insights for promoting adaptive and future-oriented behaviors in emerging adulthood. By doing so, this study contributes to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 13 (Climate Action). Full article

Education, understood as the process of forming the human person in their integral dimensions—spiritual, intellectual, moral, and social—occupies a key place in the reflection on the evangelizing mission of the Church. This article presents education as a form of integral evangelization based on the thought and activity of the Polish religious sister and mystic Blessed Marcelina Darowska (1827–1911). The initial part outlines the development of the concept of “integral evangelization” in the teachings of the Catholic Church and its relation to personalist pedagogy. The following section presents the figure of Blessed Marcelina Darowska and her educational initiative, situated in the 19th-century socio-historical context of partitioned Poland. The main section of the analysis focuses on Darowska’s concept of education as the formation of the whole person, encompassing the discernment of talents, intellectual, religious, and social development, and preparation for responsible family and civic roles. It also considers to what extent this vision of education can be identified as an expression of integral evangelization in accordance with the criteria of contemporary Church teaching. This article further presents the development of Blessed Marcelina’s educational work and its impact on forming generations of women conscious of their identity. The conclusion offers a reflection on the relevance and potential of this educational method in the context of contemporary social and religious challenges, particularly in the work of new evangelization. Full article

This article examines the interplay of religion, nationalism, and identity in contemporary Sweden, focusing on the rising phenomenon of Christian nationalism. Our analysis of editorials and opinion pieces from major Swedish newspapers reveals a significant shift towards a more pronounced Christian influence in public discourse, suggesting a renegotiation of the sacred–secular divide. This shift highlights a growing intertwining of religious narratives with national identity, raising questions about whether Sweden should embrace its Christian heritage or maintain religious neutrality and plurality. Our findings indicate that expressions of individual faith emerging in cultural discussions are not merely personal; they also foster organized religion, contributing to the construction of new communal identities. This relocation of the sacred from the private to the public sphere signifies a renewed world-building potential for religion, particularly in urban settings, challenging classical secularization theories. The increasing prominence of Christian perspectives reflects discontent with “secularized Christianity-as-culture”, signaling a desire for a more foundational Christianity. Furthermore, the integration of spheres, where discourse on values and societal crises fosters a renewed demand for religion, leads to a need to reinforce a religious identity which results in a “cultural defense” that effectively supports Christian nationalism. Full article

Dvora Baron’s “Ogmat Nefesh” exemplifies the complexities of early 20th-century Jewish multilingualism, offering distinct Hebrew and Yiddish versions of the story to explore intersections of gender, ideology, and identity. This paper draws on theoretical frameworks from Harshav’s concept of the “language of power”, Miron’s notion of “amphibianism”, Even-Zohar’s polysystem theory, and Brenner’s “lingering bilingualism” to examine how Baron’s bilingual authorship shapes her narrative strategies and critiques systemic inequities. Through close readings of key passages, it analyzes how her linguistic choices influence character portrayal, narrative tone, and thematic emphasis across the two versions. Situating “Ogmat Nefesh” within the historical contexts of Eastern European and Palestinian Jewish communities, the study also considers Baron’s engagement with Zionist and diasporic frameworks and her feminist critique of patriarchal structures. Finally, Baron’s personal experiences of exile and literary seclusion further illuminate the interplay between individual circumstances and cultural production in her work. By engaging with secondary scholarship and feminist perspectives, this study highlights Baron’s contributions to early 20th-century feminist writing and her enduring relevance to debates on multilingualism and cultural identity in Jewish literature. Full article

Facial soft tissue reconstruction is an important tool in forensic investigations, especially when conventional identification methods are unsuccessful. This paper presents a digital workflow for facial reconstruction and identity verification using computer vision techniques applied to two forensic cases. The first case involves a cold case from 1993, in which a manual reconstruction by Prof. Helmer was conducted in 1994. We digitally reconstructed the same individual using CAD software (Blender), enabling a direct comparison between manual and digital techniques. To date, the deceased remains unidentified. The second case, from 2021, involved a digitally reconstructed face that was later matched to a missing person through DNA analysis. Here, comparison material was available, including an official photograph. A police officer involved in the case noted a “striking resemblance” between the reconstruction and the photograph. To evaluate this subjective impression, we performed quantitative analyses using three face recognition models (Dlib-based method, VGG-Face, and GhostFaceNet). The models did not indicate significant similarity, highlighting a gap between human perception and algorithmic assessment. These findings suggest that current face recognition algorithms may not yet be fully suited to evaluating reconstructions, which tend to deviate in subtle but critical facial features. To achieve better facial recognition results, further research is required to generate more anatomically accurate and detailed reconstructions that align more closely with the sensitivity of AI-based identification systems. Full article

Background/Objectives: Old age and cognitive impairment/dementia are risk factors for falling and fall-related injuries. We have, in a previous study in persons with cognitive impairment, shown that falls were associated with frailty, reduced physical fitness, and cognitive reduction. Falls were independent of the disorders causing the impaired functions. Because most falls are innocent, knowledge of predictors of fall-related injuries seems more clinically relevant than the predictors of falls. Predictors of falls and fall-related injuries are not necessarily identical. The aim of this follow-up study to our previous one in the same population was to explore predictors of fall-related injuries in fallers and compare these predictors with those of falls. Methods: This study and our previous study used data from the “The Norwegian Registry of Persons Assessed for Cognitive Symptoms” (NorCog), a Norwegian research and quality registry with a biobank. The registry included consecutive home-dwelling persons referred to Norwegian specialist healthcare units for assessment of cognitive decline. This study included 3774 persons from our previous study who experienced falls last year and compared persons with and without a fall-related injury. A fall-related injury was defined as admittance to a hospital for the injury. Results: The annual incidence of fall-related injuries in the fallers was 884/3774 (23.4%). Female sex, older age, lower BMI, in need of public health service and walking assistance, and low Hb and Ca were independent predictors of fall-related injuries, indicating reduced physical fitness and state of health and a high burden of comorbidity. Injuries were not associated with the degree of cognitive impairment or the dementia diagnosis. Conclusions: In home-dwelling persons with impaired cognitive functions and falls, fall-related injuries were associated with reduced physical fitness and state of health. In contrast to predictors of falls, neither the degree of cognitive impairment nor the dementia diagnosis was associated with fall-related injuries. The difference is comprehensible. Persons with cognitive impairment or dementia might have reduced power of judgment and be inattentive, unconcerned and careless, which increases the fall incidence but not the risk of injury once falling. Prevention of fall-related injuries should focus on relieving comorbidities, improving physical fitness and general health rather than on cognitive improvement. Full article

With the increasing amount of attention paid to sustainable tourism, balancing tourism growth with ecosystem conservation has become critical. As one of the most concentrated forms of tourism, island tourism is subject to distinct ecological pressures, making the study of tourists’ environmentally responsible behavior (TERB) both urgent and necessary. However, research on TERB in island tourism remains limited. In this study, we investigated Jeju Island as a case study and, based on 575 valid responses, integrated the value–identity–personal norm (VIP), value–attitude–behavior (VAB), theory of planned behavior (TPB), and complexity theory models to explore the formation pathways of TERB systematically. Structural equation modeling (SEM) confirmed that the core components of the VIP, VAB, and TPB models positively influence the development of TERB, while nationality emerged as a significant moderator. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) further revealed six causal configurations, highlighting the diverse and non-linear TERB pathways. These findings will serve as significant theoretical insights into TERB and provide practical strategies for utilizing ecotourism as a tool for sustainable island tourism development. Full article

This paper examines the profitable digital afterlife industry (DAI), whose aim is to monetize the digital remains of departed internet users. Among the different services offered by such an industry, attention is drawn to AI and humanoid robots that create convincing digital surrogates of the deceased. A decade ago, Google patented robots that can be customizable with personality attributes, and later, Microsoft secured a patent for software that could reincarnate people as a chatbot. By focusing on how these technologies actually work, and in particular, on how software systems collect and process the deceased’s data, the intent is to illustrate the normative challenges of the field, namely, the legal puzzles, moral threats, and uncertainties related to privacy and data protection in the after-death governance of cyberspace. Full article

As individuals grow older, they experience notable shifts in their health conditions, social positions, and personal identity. Studies show that finding meaning in life correlates with healthier lifestyle choices and enhanced overall well-being. This sense of meaning functions as a protective factor against life’s challenges, strengthening resilience during later years. The research utilized thematic analysis within a qualitative methodology to investigate the subjective sources of meaning among elderly people living in Romanian institutional settings. The analysis revealed several interconnected themes. Religiosity and spirituality emerged as a fundamental anchor, with participants often mentioning God, Divinity, and Higher Power in their narratives. They typically conceptualized life as a sacred gift and emphasized the importance of religious practices such as prayer and church attendance as essential to their sense of purpose. The intergenerational transmission of values also proved significant, with elderly individuals finding meaning in passing down moral and spiritual principles to younger family members, viewing this as their enduring legacy. Interpersonal connections played a crucial role as well, with quality relationships with family and friends fostering a sense of belonging, while broken relationships or isolation negatively impacted well-being. Daily life objectives, including short-term goals like maintaining routines or anticipating family visits, along with preserving functional independence, provided structure and immediate purpose for many participants. The research distinguished between religiosity and spirituality as related but separate concepts: while formal religious rituals offered community-based meaning, those less engaged with organized religion discovered transcendence through personal spiritual experiences such as connecting with nature. This study highlights cultural specificities, particularly how Orthodox Christian traditions shape existential narratives among Romanian elderly, and proposes practical interventions for retirement facilities to incorporate activities focused on spiritual engagement, relationship building, and opportunities for elders to share their wisdom with younger generations. Full article

In recent decades, various communities and organizations have been working to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion and justify their equal rights. This task becomes more complex within religious communities that are based on traditional values that reject homosexuality. This historical-anthropological study presents “K’Afikim BaNegev”—a special manual that includes more than 347 pages and incorporates 73 diverse sources distributed in early 1994 in American Conservative Jewish congregations aimed at combating homophobia. I clarify how the documents reveal progressive qualitative methodologies for identifying and understanding barriers and mechanisms of community change. Textual analysis of personal letters, educational programs, workshops, and rabbinical sermons revealed two methods for creating this egalitarian change and constructing the Jewish community as a safe space for gay men and lesbian women and their family members: (1) using and promoting personal narrative (storytelling) as a channel to voice LGBTQ+ people’s stories and (2) adapting a text-centered approach that considers biblical sources as authoritative in recognizing LGBTQ+ identity. Thus, the acceptance of homosexuality was not conceptualized in terms of liberal human rights rhetoric but rather as a religious commandment. Thus, I define this novel initiative as an act of ‘queer Jewish activism,’ offering a new typology for community development and practice that advocates for LGBTQ+ individuals within contemporary religious communities. Full article

In Jordan, where aging at home reflects Islamic cultural values, elderly populations face housing environments that fail to meet their needs, challenging sustainable aging-in-place objectives. This study explores how space personalization enhances autonomy and control among Jordan’s elderly using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and interviews across multiple governorates. Findings reveal that space personalization strengthens elders’ sense of control over daily activities and household decisions, with private room allocation emerging as particularly significant. While conflicts between generations present barriers to control, cherished objects, such as heirlooms and religious artifacts, play a vital role in maintaining emotional connections and territorial identity. The study highlights the need for culturally sensitive housing modifications that respect cultural traditions while addressing practical needs, recommending community-based care programs and intergenerational dialogue initiatives. These insights contribute to sustainable urban development strategies that support dignified aging while preserving socio-cultural heritage, offering lessons for similar communities facing rapid demographic transitions. Full article

The resettlement of development-induced migrants is a complex socioeconomic and cultural process. The levels of place identity among migrants may profoundly affect their long-term stability and sustainable development in host communities. For long-distance displaced migrants, their social relations undergo drastic changes, and the extent of social-relations reconstruction determines their place identity in the resettlement area. Previous studies mainly concentrated on migrant compensation schemes, housing, and land allocation, and livelihood restoration. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the mechanism by which social-relations reconstruction shapes place identity. Drawing on sample survey data collected during 2022–2023 from migrants displaced from the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in China to various other provinces, this study conceptualizes place identity in three dimensions: group identity, permanent settlement intention, and expectations for children. A structural equation model (SEM) was employed to investigate how social relations, categorized as geographical, home-tied, and carried-over relations, mediate the influence of multiple factors on place identity. The findings are that: (1) among development-induced migrants, social relations exerted significant positive effects on place identity, along with personal characteristics, socioeconomic characteristics, land, and housing factors. Moreover, family features, socioeconomic characteristics, and land and housing factors all had a significantly positive impact on social relations; (2) social relations acted as a full mediator between family features and place identity, and a partial mediator between socioeconomic characteristics/land and housing factors and place identity; (3) among geographical, home-tied, and carried-over social relations, geographical social relations had the largest effect on place identity, followed by carried-over relations. However, continuous dependence on home-tied social relations negatively affected the migrants’ development of place identity in new resettlement areas. This study elucidates the role of social relations in the socioeconomic and cultural reconstruction during migrant resettlement, offering insight for improving resettlement policies and promoting sustainable community integration. Full article

The deployment of autonomous AI agents in smart environments has accelerated the need for accurate and privacy-preserving human identification. Traditional vision-based solutions, while effective in capturing spatial and contextual information, often face challenges related to high deployment costs, privacy concerns, and susceptibility to environmental variations. To address these limitations, we propose IdentiFi, a novel AI-driven human identification system that leverages WiFi-based wireless sensing and contrastive learning techniques. IdentiFi utilizes self-supervised and semi-supervised learning to extract robust, identity-specific representations from Channel State Information (CSI) data, effectively distinguishing between individuals even in dynamic, multi-occupant settings. The system’s temporal and contextual contrasting modules enhance its ability to model human motion and reduce multi-user interference, while class-aware contrastive learning minimizes the need for extensive labeled datasets. Extensive evaluations demonstrate that IdentiFi outperforms existing methods in terms of scalability, adaptability, and privacy preservation, making it highly suitable for AI agents in smart homes, healthcare facilities, security systems, and personalized services. Full article

This qualitative research explores the intersection of social media, personal branding, and perceived authenticity in sports figures, focusing on Deion Sanders’s digital presence as head football coach at the University of Colorado. Two interrelated studies examine how Sanders manages his authenticity on social media and how audiences perceive his authenticity. Study 1 employs a six-factor framework applied to eight focus groups to understand what factors social media audiences consider most important in developing Sanders’s perceived authenticity as a digital content creator. Study 2 utilizes a two-factor model of authenticity management to examine Sanders’s personal social media content during his inaugural season as CU’s head coach. The research incorporates a spatial perspective from sport sociology. This approach examines how Sanders’s social media activity creates and shapes virtual spaces where interaction and identity formation occur. Findings reveal that while Sanders is generally perceived as authentic, digital charisma emerged as the most significant factor in constructing his perceived authenticity. The study contributes to understanding the evolving nature of authenticity in digital spaces and the role of digital charisma in personal branding for public figures balancing multiple roles. Full article