Social Sciences

Abstract: Remote and hybrid work have altered where many high-skill workers live, commute, and participate in professional networks, raising new questions for technology-based economic development (TBED) in the United States. This conceptual review asks whether remote work is dispersing innovation activity, creating durable opportunities for smaller metropolitan areas, or reorganizing established geographies of advantage. The article uses a focused conceptual review that synthesizes foundational scholarship on agglomeration, clusters, and innovation geography with post-2020 research on remote work, urban restructuring, regional migration, local innovation systems, and policy responses. Sources were selected for their relevance to spatial concentration, metropolitan hierarchy, remote-worker embeddedness, and TBED strategy. The review shows that remote work has not dissolved agglomeration. Large metropolitan regions continue to concentrate remote-capable, innovation-intensive, and digitally intensive employment, while some smaller and mid-sized metros have gained visibility and mobile talent. However, the evidence points more strongly to selective gains at the margin than to broad spatial equalization. The findings also show that residential inflows alone do not create durable innovation capacity. The article argues that remote work is reorganizing rather than replacing TBED. Its central contribution is a framework of partial geographic decoupling, in which remote work loosens the routine overlap among residence, workplace, and firm location while increasing the importance of local institutions. The main policy challenge is building connective capacity that converts mobile labor into entrepreneurship, collaboration, civic participation, and long-term regional innovation. This framing clarifies how regions can compete without assuming that attracting remote workers automatically produces transformation. Recent federal and multi-survey evidence strengthens the article’s claim that remote work has stabilized above pre-pandemic levels while remaining uneven by education, occupation, and metropolitan context.

Abstract: This paper presents a theoretically informed critical review of climate change discourse in Sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on peer-reviewed scholarship and authoritative policy documents, it examines how climate knowledge is framed, communicated, authorized, and translated into public and policy use. Guided by decolonial theory and the Multiple Evidence Base approach, the review assesses climate discourse through four linked dimensions: epistemic authority, communicative accessibility, representational framing, and policy relevance. The review finds that recent scholarship and policy increasingly recognize Indigenous and local knowledge, public participation, climate education, and context-specific communication. However, significant gaps remain between formal recognition and operational integration. Climate literacy continues to vary across and within African countries; climate services become useful only when institutions align them with user needs and local decision-making contexts; and educational and policy discourse can still reproduce epistemic hierarchy even when it invokes inclusion. The paper contributes to sustainability scholarship by showing that demystification and decolonization are complementary requirements for inclusive climate governance and sustainable development. Demystification improves the intelligibility and usability of climate knowledge, whereas decolonization strengthens legitimacy by challenging hierarchies that privilege some knowledge systems while marginalizing others. A stronger climate discourse for Sub-Saharan Africa, therefore, requires institutional changes in how actors authorize knowledge, translate uncertainty, frame vulnerability and agency, and design climate communication, education, and services for public and policy use.

Abstract: In resource-constrained settings, structural and material inequalities shape children’s developmental opportunities, yet developmental pathways remain diverse even within shared hardship. This study examined developmental continuity and variation in cognitive trajectories among children born in adversity and assessed whether maternal structural positioning and household material conditions were associated with developmental progression. Data were drawn from 742 children born to adolescent mothers in the large longitudinal cohort in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) at baseline and the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-II) at follow-up. Baseline functioning predicted later cognitive placement, indicating developmental continuity (B = 0.074, SE = 0.030, p = .015). Lower maternal educational attainment was associated with more constrained developmental progression (B = −0.097, SE = 0.023, p < .001), and maternal not in education, employment, or training (NEET) status also predicted constrained trajectories (B = −0.200, SE = 0.049, p < .001). In contrast, consistent access to basic household necessities was associated with more favourable developmental trajectories (B = 0.024, SE = 0.009, p = .012). These findings indicate that variation in children’s developmental trajectories reflects differences in structural positioning and household material conditions. Supporting adolescent mothers’ engagement in education and access to stable resources may represent an important pathway for improving child developmental outcomes.

Abstract: Within modern culinary education, education for sustainable development is essential for vocational students. Using the example of sous vide, its suitability for addressing sustainability in culinary education was investigated as well as to which extent it is currently implemented in Germany. Therefore, literature on potential environmental, social, economic and health impacts of sous vide cooking was reviewed and its current implementation in German culinary educational materials was analyzed. The analysis revealed a number of sustainability aspects of sous vide. Despite being covered in textbooks, it is not brought into a sustainability context. Moreover, existing sustaina-bility concepts for the gastronomy sector neither identify environmental conditions as a basic requirement for any socio-economic activity nor illustrate interdependencies and trade-offs between different sustainability dimensions. Hence, currently in Ger-many available sustainability concepts and culinary teaching and training materials do not support the development of a systemic understanding and multi-dimensional engagement when training future chefs.

Abstract: This paper examines the empirical evidence on the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in scientific writing. A search was conducted in Google Scholar and PubMed, followed by an analysis of the included studies, which was performed according to the academic field, AI tool, writing task, study design, and main findings. Following the PRISMA guide, this scoping review included 18 studies published between 1st January 2023 and 1st January 2026, representing the disciplines of medicine, education, dentistry, radiology, humanities, library, information science and cognitive science. The evidence base was dominated by studies on ChatGPT, making it the most empirically researched GenAI tool in this field. According to the studies reviewed, GenAI performed well on an array of measures (readability, fluency, and organization) and efficiency (the latter especially in terms of manuscript drafting, abstract writing, proposal development, and literature reviewing). However, the findings also disclosed several limitations, including incorrect or falsified references, inaccurate bibliographical metadata, shallow analysis, lack of originality, and insufficient methodological depth. Based on comparative evidence, newer model versions show improved coherence and reasoning and although improved with the newer GenAI versions, reference reliability still appears to be a recurring problem. Overall, GenAI can be a useful assistive tool for scientific writing; however, its usefulness is dependent upon human supervision and the task at hand, especially with regard to the accuracy of facts and their sources.

Abstract: The landscapes of most tropical regions have been shaped by the indigenous peoples’ and their livelihood practices. The utility of plants within these landscapes for traditional purposes has been facing intense competition from commercial logging. To gain insights into this conflict, this paper examined how landscape conditions may influence the presence and spatial distribution of indigenous subsistence and commercial logging ecosystem services relative to one another. Data on the ecosystem services and landscape conditions in the form of physical environment variables were obtained for twelve indigenous villages in the Rupununi, Southern Guyana. For each village, the relative log risk ratios of subsistence values to logging values were computed and regressed against six physical environment variables – village presence, distance to village, distance to road, distance to waterways, elevation, and slope – to examine if and how landscape conditions may favor the presence of one service over the other. The estimates were then used to map the relative differences in the spatial distributions of subsistence and commercial logging services in each village. It was found that mean relative log risk ratios for the villages were generally positive, indicating an inclination towards the presence of subsistence services. However, the maps revealed that while some areas within a given village were indeed more favorable for the presence of subsistence services, other areas within the same village were inclined towards the presence of logging services. Similar spatial analyses can be explored to guide policy-makers in developing land-use strategies that allocate forest lands between competing users by identifying areas that are best suited for indigenous peoples’ subsistence activities and for commercial logging operations.

Abstract: The field of international relations confronts significant research gaps as established theoretical frameworks struggle to address the multidimensional challenges of the twenty-first century. This study presents a comprehensive qualitative analysis of four priority research domains requiring urgent scholarly attention: artificial intelligence (AI) governance and global power dynamics, climate security and interstate conflict, digital sovereignty in the Global South, and non-state actors in hybrid warfare. Employing systematic literature review and thematic analysis grounded in interpretivist epistemology and critical realist ontology, this research identifies critical theoretical and empirical deficiencies in existing scholarship while proposing integrated frameworks for addressing them. Findings reveal that traditional international relations theories—including realism (Waltz, 1979/2010; Mearsheimer, 2001), liberalism (Keohane, 1984; Ikenberry, 2011), and constructivism (Wendt, 1999; Finnemore & Sikkink, 1998)—require substantial adaptation to address challenges posed by technological transformation, environmental change, and evolving security paradigms. The analysis identifies significant cross-domain interconnections: AI governance intersects with hybrid warfare through autonomous weapons systems and cyber operations, while climate security connects with digital sovereignty through environmental data governance. The paper concludes with evidence-based recommendations for future research agendas, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, methodological innovation, and policy-relevant scholarship. This analysis contributes to advancing international relations scholarships in an era of unprecedented global complexity.

Abstract: Inclusive education has become an important component of educational reform in Kazakhstan, particularly through efforts to align national education policy with international principles of equity and access. However, implementation remains uneven between urban and rural schools. This study explores how teachers implement inclusive education practices in a rural secondary school in Northern Kazakhstan. A qualitative case study design was employed using semi-structured interviews with sixteen teachers working in inclusive classrooms. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that teachers demonstrate strong commitment to supporting students with diverse learning needs and regularly adapt instructional practices to promote classroom inclusion. At the same time, participants identified major challenges, including limited professional preparation, shortages of specialized support staff, insufficient instructional resources, and infrastructure constraints affecting rural schools. The findings further suggest that although inclusive education is increasingly emphasized within national educational policy, implementation in rural schools continues to be shaped by structural inequalities and unequal access to institutional support. The study contributes to the limited literature on inclusive education in Central Asia and highlights the importance of strengthening teacher professional development, institutional support systems, and rural educational infrastructure.

Abstract: In the healthcare sector, burnout has become a critical concern due to the combination of high job demands and sustained emotional strain. The present study aims to analyze whether emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between psychosocial risk factors, namely working values conflict and burnout among healthcare professionals. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 205 healthcare professionals. Measurement instruments included the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT-23) to assess burnout dimensions; the Health and Work Survey (ERPS_INSAT) to evaluate psychosocial risk factors; and the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS-P) to assess emotional intelligence. A moderation analysis using the PROCESS macro (model 1) was conducted to examine whether emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between psychosocial risk, working values factor, and burnout among healthcare professionals. The results show that the psychosocial risk-work values dimension was a significant positive predictor of burnout (total scale: B = 0.27, p < 0.001; Exhaustion: B = 0.33, p < 0.001; Mental distance: B = 0.32, p < 0.001; cognitive Impairment: B = 0.14, p < 0.001; emotional Impairment: B = 0.30, p < 0.001), indicating that higher perceived risk was associated with higher burnout symptoms. Emotional intelligence did not significantly predict burnout on its own (total scale: B = 0.07, p > 0.05; Exhaustion: B = 0.09, p > 0.05; Mental Distance: B = 0.11, p > 0.05; Cognitive Impairment: B = 0.11, p > 0.05; Emotional Impairment: B = -0.04, p > 0.05). The interaction term (psychosocial risk: work values × emotional intelligence) was not significant, suggesting that emotional intelligence does not moderate the relationship between working values and burnout. These findings highlight the central role of psychosocial risk factors in the development of burnout among healthcare professionals, but emotional intelligence does not seem to have a protective effect against burnout. Such findings point to the need for organizational interventions that reduce workplace risks and demand a more in-depth analysis of organizational context determinants, with particular attention to the impact of working values conflict as a critical driver of burnout.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to examine the effect of respiratory muscle strength parameters obtained from endurance athletes on aerobic capacity levels. A total of 70 endurance athletes, 23 females and 47 males, voluntarily participated with the study. Respiratory muscle strength of the athletes were measured with a digital spirometer. Max VO₂ was assessed using the cardiopulmonary exercise testing system (Cosmed K5). As a result of the research; MIP and MEP values were determined to be related to PETCO₂ value at maximum load in female endurance athletes. In male endurance athletes, MEP values were determined to be related to PETCO₂ values at maximum load, PETO₂ values at maximum load, MaxVO₂ values, VO₂ values at RCP, and VO₂ values at VT. Additionally, in male endurance athletes, the MIP value was determined to be related to the VCO₂ value at RCP and the VTidal value at maximum load. Other Max VO₂ sub parameters examined were not associated with respiratory muscle strength. Research results reveal that there are relationships between maximal oxygen consumption which is the most important indicator of aerobic performance and its sub-parameters and respiratory muscles.

Abstract: Background: Social-cognition assessment often relies on endpoint measures such as accuracy, which provide limited information about how social stimuli are visually sampled. Eye-tracking can capture visual-sampling processes, but the meaning of gaze metrics depends on task structure. Objective: To examine the feasibility and preliminary informativeness of eye-tracking during two computerized social-cognition tasks in healthy adults. Methods: Nineteen healthy adults completed a full-face facial emotion-recognition task (TREC) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) while gaze was recorded. Measures included fixation count, cumulative fixation duration, and reaction time. TREC analyses examined gaze allocation across the eyes, nose, mouth, and facial hemifields. Analyses were exploratory and hypothesis-generating. Results: In the TREC, gaze was mainly allocated to the eyes and nose, with less sampling of the mouth. Higher TREC performance was accompanied by greater eye-region and left-hemiface viewing. Negative expressions elicited more fixations, and older participants showed greater eye-region sampling. In the RMET, participants showed higher fixation count, longer cumulative fixation duration, and longer response time than in the TREC, but gaze metrics were not clearly associated with demographic or performance variables. Conclusions: Eye-tracking was feasible and yielded coherent, task-dependent visual-sampling patterns in this small pilot sample. Full-face stimuli enabled spatially resolved gaze characterization, whereas eye-region stimuli mainly provided global inspection metrics. Findings are preliminary and should inform larger studies testing the clinical or mechanistic value of gaze-derived measures.

Abstract: The intensification of the ecosocial crisis has revealed the structural limitations of economic paradigms based on growth. In this context, degrowth emerges as a transformative framework that proposes the deliberate reduction of production and consumption, prioritizing well-being, equity, and ecological sustainability. However, the role of education in the transition toward post-growth societies remains insufficiently developed. This article analyzes how formal educational systems reproduce growth-oriented subjectivities through human capital frameworks and neoliberal governance. Based on a critical review of the literature and a conceptual analysis, both the structural limitations of the dominant educational model and the emergence of alternative pedagogies grounded in sufficiency, care, and the commons are identified. This article proposes a reorientation of educational aims, contents and practices favouring ecosocial literacy and collective agency, with implications for educational policy and systemic transformation.

Abstract: This study investigated the relationships between ambivalent sexism, social roles, and body compassion in Albanian and Italian women. The participants were 251 Albanian and 280 Italian women who completed validated measures assessing hostile and benevolent sexism, social roles transcendence and link to social roles, and three subdimensions of body compassion (defusion, common humanity, and acceptance). Path analyses indicated excellent model fit across samples. In Albanian women, hostile sexism negatively predicted social roles transcendence and positively predicted a link to social roles, both of which were associated with lower body compassion. Benevolent sexism was positively associated with social roles transcendence, which in turn was related to higher body compassion. In contrast, Italian women showed a different pattern: benevolent sexism positively predicted a link to social roles, while social roles transcendence and link to social roles were both negatively related to defusion. Age positively predicted defusion and acceptance, highlighting a possible protective effect. Explained variance was higher in the Italian sample, particularly for the link to social roles. Overall, findings suggest that sexist attitudes and adherence to stereotyped social roles influence women’s body compassion differently across cultural contexts, revealing ambivalent and sometimes contradictory associations. The study highlights the need for culturally sensitive approaches in promoting positive body image.

Abstract: Mega-events like the Olympic Games present both opportunities and challenges for sustainable urban development. This study addresses a critical knowledge gap: how can temporary Olympic Villages transition into permanent, inclusive urban communities that deliver lasting social, economic, and environmental benefits. Drawing on grounded theory and cross-case analysis of six Olympic events, we establish a three-tier P-R-L model (Physical-Relational-Legacy) that explains sustainable community structure evolution. The Physical layer operationalizes resilient space design through adaptive infrastructure; the Relational layer institutionalizes equitable governance through stakeholder integration; the Legacy layer consolidates inclusive urban dividends beyond traditional metrics. Our findings demonstrate how these dimensions reinforce mutually to support sustainable community transitions, offering a replicable framework for mega-event planning aligned with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The research contributes actionable guidance for policymakers, urban planners, and event organizers seeking to maximize positive sustainability outcomes.

Abstract: Reflection is widely recognized as a pathway to deeper learning in higher education, yet many students struggle to engage in reflective tasks meaningfully. This study examined how student engagement and reflective performance developed across a seven-session structured reflective learning sequence in an undergraduate course. A longitudinal quantitative design was employed, including 59 students for participation data and 38 students for performance analysis. The instructional design incorporated teacher-led scaffolding, including exemplars, feedback, and structured prompts, with optional AI-supported assistance in later sessions. Results showed that engagement patterns were non-linear. Submission rates increased following the introduction of exemplars and feedback, declined when higher-order reflection was first introduced, and stabilized in later sessions, with the lowest participation observed in the final integrative task. Reflective performance also differed across stages. Step 1 (descriptive reflection) scores improved progressively, whereas Step 2 (analytical reflection) scores remained consistently high among students who completed substantive responses. The gap between attempted and completed Step 2 responses decreased over time. These findings suggest that reflective learning develops gradually and is sensitive to instructional conditions. The study highlights reflection as a staged developmental process and underscores the role of structured support in facilitating student engagement and performance.

Abstract: Mission diminishment and creep which is the gradual dilution of a faith-based organisation’s founding spiritual or theological purpose poses a defining challenge for faith-based organisations of many traditions navigating secular environments, leadership transitions, and the competing demands of contemporary governance. This paper reviews scholarship from theology, organisational studies, personnel psychology, and the sociology of religion, to examine the mechanisms through which faith-based identity erodes and to identify the structural factors that protect against it. Central to the analysis is the phenomenon of values camouflage, a term this paper introduces, where leaders adopt the language of faith for employability or cultural fit without necessarily embodying the spiritual, ethical, or pastoral commitments necessary to sustain organisational mission. The experience of Mary Aitkenhead Ministries (MAM) a Catholic mission-based organisation operating across health, education, and welfare in the tradition of the Religious Sisters of Charity is used to illustrate how founding charism, when institutionally sustained through Catholic Social Teaching, careful stewardship, and community engagement, can function as ways to navigate secular pressures rather than a liability to be concealed. Finally, the paper identifies four interconnected domains of protective action: engagement with modernity, recruitment integrity, the preservation of founding charism, and ongoing organisational formation. It also offers six evidence-based recommendations for boards, leaders, and chaplains across faith traditions committed to maintaining theological distinctiveness without sacrificing organisational effectiveness. Limitations and future research opportunities are also discussed.

Abstract: Soccer performance depends on multiple interacting factors, including physical, technical, tactical, and psychological components. Among the psychological factors associated with optimal performance are athletes’ emotional states, their regulation, and executive functions. These processes support attention to relevant external stimuli and enable players to plan, adapt, and regulate their behavior during gameplay. Although executive functions and emotional states have been widely studied in sport settings, research examining the relationship between these variables in athletes is limited, particularly in female soccer players. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between emotional states, emotional regulation, and performance on cognitive tasks in female players from the Mexican soccer league. Twenty-eight players participated in two individual assessment sessions in which anxiety and depression levels, emotional regulation, and executive functions—planning, inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility—were evaluated using psychological and neuropsychological tests. Results indicated a relationship between aspects of decision-making and players’ emotional regulation abilities, as well as between depression levels and onset latency in a working memory task. These findings support the existence of an association between emotional processes and cognitive functioning in female soccer players.

Abstract: Objectives: The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) generally operates as unidimensional but demonstrates invariance issues. This study aimed to examine the construct validity and stability of various SWLS across age and gender groups. Methods: Employing a convenience sample of community-dwelling European adults (N = 7531, median age = 26 (22-28) years, 51.1% females), this instrumental study investigated the structure and stability of SWLS through exploratory/confirmatory factor analysis (EFA/CFA) and multigroup CFA in SPSS and JASP. Results: EFA in 30% of the sample (n = 2246, KMO (0.86), Bartlett’s test of sphericity χ² (10) = 4561.84, p = 0.001) revealed a single factor with an eigenvalue of 3.12, which explained 62.35% of the variance. The unidimensional and two bidimensional structures (present/past life satisfaction; achievement/acceptance) expressed excellent fit (χ² (4-5) = 92.60-106.14, ps = 0.001; all CFIs = 0.994, ; TLI = 0.985-0.987, ; RMSEA = 0.052-0.056, ; SRMR = 0.013-0.014). Bifactor and second-order structures based on both two factor-structures did not converge. The three structures were invariant at the configural metric, scalar, and strict levels across age (<26, ≥26 years) while only the unidimensional SWLS was invariant at all levels across genders. Achievement/acceptance SWLS converged only in males while present/past life satisfaction converged only in females—the fit of both models was excellent, and the fit of the latter slightly improved when the errors of items 2 and 4 correlated. Conclusions: The findings support the use of the SWLS as a single-factor instrument for comparative purposes. SWLS components (cognitive or experiential) are interpreted uniformly among different age groups while gender-specific convergence patterns suggest meaningful gender-related nuances in its dimensional expression—males and females differently conceptualize SWLS components. Research should explore theoretical mechanisms underlying differential structuring of life satisfaction and examine whether these gender-specific dimensional patterns replicate across cultures and longitudinal designs.

Abstract: Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is driving a fundamental paradigm shift in architectural design, transitioning from deterministic drafting to algorithmic curation. While the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector rapidly adopts these tools, academic curricula face a critical "Techno-Instructional Void." This gap risks inducing a "Zero Order Thinking State" (ZOTS)—a cognitive passivity rooted in Cognitive Load Theory, where students uncritically accept unbuildable machine hallu-cinations. Developed through comprehensive preliminary consultations with academ-ic colleagues and longitudinal studio observations, this study introduces the "Twin Houses" methodology and the "Technical Sealing" protocol. By enforcing "Cognitive Friction," the framework compels students to validate probabilistic GenAI outputs against deterministic physical laws (e.g., Blondel's Formula 2R + T = 63 cm) and safety norms. Crucially, Building Information Modeling (BIM) acts as an automated Proof-Assistant, utilizing visual programming APIs (Revit Dynamo, Allplan Python-Parts) and IFC 4.3 data schemas for rigorous Rule-Based Checking (RBC). To confirm cross-border transferability and optimize the time-costs of curriculum integration via an asynchronous AI-TPACK module, the framework is currently undergoing verifica-tion interviews with a bilateral expert panel (n=8) from Germany and Türkiye. Ulti-mately, this framework provides a structured pedagogical approach, equipping in-structors to guide students in transforming machine hallucinations into legally builda-ble, tectonic realities. Sample videos showcasing student works are available in the Supplementary Materials.

Abstract: Waerebo Village, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in Indonesia, represents a profound harmony between the Manggarai people, nature, and spirituality, yet the technical functional role of its traditional zoning remains under-researched. This study examines the Waerebo landscape model by integrating horizontal and vertical spatial patterns through literature reviews, field observations, interviews, and GIS-based analyses, including Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and multi-temporal NDVI from 2015 to 2025. Find-ings indicate that Waerebo’s landscape is organized into three concentric zone—core, uti-lization, and sacred zones—mirroring a tripartite spiritual framework of God, ancestors, and nature spirits. Geospatial data reveals a sophisticated indigenous landscape engineering system where the settlement is strategically positioned on a stable 16° terrace, while sacred forests are maintained on extreme 85° slopes to protect watersheds and mitigate landslides. Multi-temporal NDVI analysis confirms an increase in forest density from 0.47 in 2015 to 0.52 in 2025, validating the effectiveness of customary laws in maintaining ecological integrity despite tourism pressures. The study concludes that Waerebo's cosmic spiral model achieves a vital balance between culture, socio-economic survival, and environmental conservation, offering a functional blueprint for resilient cultural heritage management in challenging topographies.