University of Sopron

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThis study examines how two forms of perfectionism – self-doubt-driven and purpose-driven – affect employees’ mental health and well-being. Our study distinguishes between maladaptive and adaptive perfectionism and examines their relationships with burnout and job satisfaction. A quantitative online survey was conducted in Hungary with 478 participants (67% women, with a mean age of 29) via social media. The survey covered the staff of both Hungarian and foreign-owned companies, which were of different sizes. Participants were employed adults selected to obtain a varied sample across regions, education levels, and job positions. Data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, factor analysis, and K-means clustering in SPSS to evaluate three hypotheses regarding the relationships between perfectionism and gender, job role, company ownership, burnout, and life satisfaction. Results showed that self-doubt-driven perfectionism strongly correlated with a higher burnout rate, whereas purpose-driven perfectionism was linked to greater life satisfaction. Contrary to assumptions, demographic factors such as gender, role, or company ownership did not consistently predict perfectionism levels. Two main perfectionism patterns – demanding perfection and doubt-driven – were identified, each producing different psychological outcomes.

Accurate prediction of fracture energy (Gf) in asphalt mixtures is important for durable asphalt pavements designing. Traditional experimental approaches are reliable but need resources, whereas numerical simulations, such as finite element models (FEM), offer flexibility but needs accurate input parameters and calibration. Recent advances in machine learning offer rapid prediction capabilities; however, interpretability and physical relevance remain challenging in this regard. This study presents a hybrid framework that integrates experimental Single Edge Notch Beam (SENB) tests, finite element simulations, and machine learning models to predict fracture parameters for asphalt mixtures. Experimental testing quantified fracture energy, while FEM simulations replicated the fracture response numerically. Machine learning models, including Linear Regression, Gradient Boosting, and AdaBoost, were trained on mixture properties such as stability, flow, air voids, and Stiffness Modulus at 20 °C (ITSM20) to predict surrogate fracture energy. A novel, dimensionally consistent surrogate equation was proposed to link key mixture properties to fracture energy, validated against both experimental and numerical results. The surrogate model demonstrated best accuracy with a mean relative error compared to experimental data. This novel integrated approach, adopted in this study, provides a practical and physics-guided methodology for rapid and reliable prediction of fracture behavior in asphalt mixtures, bridging experimental observations, numerical simulations, and data-driven machine learning modeling, and offering insights for mixture optimization and pavement design.

A series of grey poplar (Populus x canescens) samples was irradiated by strong ultraviolet (UV) light emitter mercury lamp, while another series of specimens were treated with the combination of UV irradiation and water leaching. The total duration of UV irradiation for both series of specimens was 20 days. The colour parameters (CIE L*, a*, b*) were measured and evaluated after both UV irradiation and water leaching. Due to the 20 days of UV irradiation, the initial redness value of sapwood increased 2.69 times, while leaching reduced this factor to 1.77. In case of heartwood, the initial redness value increased 1.34-fold due to the 20-day UV exposure, while the leaching reduced this factor to 1.14. These multiplier values are 2.07 and 1.44 for the yellowness of sapwood, as well as 1.57 and 1.29 for the yellowness of heartwood. The leaching partly removed the yellow and red chromophore molecules generated by the UV irradiation. The samples were slightly lighter after water leaching.

This study explores the representation of the natural environment, specifically forests and silviculture, within the 16th-century Florentine Codex (General History of the Things of New Spain) compiled by the Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún and his indigenous collaborators. Although Sahagún’s encyclopedic work is primarily recognized for its ethnographical and religious insights, Book 11 offers a profound scientific treatise on the flora and fauna of the Aztec Empire. The present research analyzes Chapter 6 of this volume, focusing on the morphological descriptions of tree species, their classification in the Nahuatl language, and their diverse practical applications. The findings demonstrate that the Aztecs possessed a sophisticated understanding of timber, utilizing specific wood types for architecture, navigation, medicinal purposes, and ritual ceremonies. Furthermore, the paper highlights how the indigenous naming conventions reflected the functional utility of plants. By examining these historical records, the study contributes to the fields of landscape history and ethnobotany, underscoring the systematic nature of Aztec environmental management and the enduring value of Sahagún’s documentation in understanding Mesoamerican natural heritage.

Nanoscale amphibole nucleation and growth in the Earth’s mantle is poorly understood despite its important role in the evolution and stability of the lithosphere, along with its influence on the coexisting fluid composition. Here, we focus on the nanoscale features of a clinopyroxene-amphibole-fluid inclusion system in an amphibole-bearing upper mantle xenolith and propose a new amphibole formation mechanism at mantle depth. Our approach includes fluid inclusion formation, crystallographic observations and molecular properties of the entrapped H2O-bearing supercritical CO2-rich mantle fluids. First, the differentiation of H2O and CO2 along the supercritical fluid-clinopyroxene interface leads to nanometre-thick hydrous monolayer formation. The disruption of the supercritical fluid-clinopyroxene interface, including the hydrous monolayer, leads to amphibole formation. Hydrous fluid-mobile elements in the hydrous monolayers, support amphibole growth via diffusion along the clinopyroxene-amphibole interface enhanced by various structural misfits. Our results help to clarify the driving forces of element exchange in a supercritical fluid-solid system and present the initial stage of hydrous mineral formation and growth. This process causes fixation of H2O and common lithophile elements with relative CO2 enrichment in the residual supercritical fluid. Nanochannels can contribute to element migration in clinopyroxene-amphibole-rich, non-porous domains in the lithospheric mantle.

In response to the growing challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, the European Union announced the Green Deal on 11 December 2019, aiming for climate neutrality by 2050. To achieve this, a series of regulatory measures have been introduced to promote sustainability in the construction sector. This paper examines key EU regulations that, while not explicitly mandating wood, create conditions favorable to timber and wood-based products due to their low-carbon and renewable properties. The Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) encourages timber adoption through voluntary carbon removal incentives, whereas the new Construction Products Regulation (CPR) represents a mandatory intervention, embedding environmental and climate criteria directly into market standards. Additional regulations, including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the Nature Restoration Law (NRL), and the Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), further support wood by promoting resource efficiency, responsible sourcing, energy performance, and long-term carbon storage. Together, these measures form a multi-layered framework in which voluntary and binding instruments interact, indirectly supporting sustainable construction practices. Given its ability to store carbon over extended periods and achieve a net negative footprint in life cycle assessments, wood emerges as a strategic material for advancing the EU’s climate objectives.

This paper examines the cultural, functional, and spiritual roles of woodcarving in traditional Malay architecture. It investigates how historical, cultural, and spiritual factors shaped the selection of materials, motifs, and carving techniques. Key architectural elements like Tunjuk Langit and Sisik Naga are highlighted for their aesthetic, functional and symbolic contributions. While Malay woodcarving’s symbolic and decorative aspects are well documented, integration into contemporary architectural is less explored. The study adopts a conceptual review approach, synthesising historical, cultural and architectural literature and analysing recurring motifs, techniques and applications through a thematic lens. The paper also discusses the challenge of preserving these traditional elements in modern architecture, offering insights into how they can be adapted while maintaining cultural significance. The findings highlight woodcarving’s enduring relevance, positioning it as a framework for sustainable and culturally rooted architecture.

Zbornik Nova promišljanja o djetinjstvu II / Dijete i prostor nastavak je na već započetu priču o djetinjstvu sad iz praktične vizure promatranja djeteta i prostora iz stvarnog konteksta. Na samom početku zbornika nalaze se plenarna izlaganja renomiranih znanstvenika iz odabranog područja, i to Roberte Mineo, koja problematizira ulogu okoliša i prostora u Reggio Emilia pristupu s apekta grupnoanalitičke interpretacije, Irene Klasnić koja smješta dijete i prostor u okvire pedagoškog diskursa te na kraju Laszla Varge koji problematizira neuropedagogiju ranog djetinjstva kao otvoren prozor prema svijetu. Ostali radovi zastupljeni u zborniku kategorizirani su kao stručni te daju široku tematsku lepezu veze odgojno-obrazovnog prostora sa širom društvenom zajednicom, kroz stvaralački odgojno-obrazovni potencijal životnih prostora. Nadalje, radovi prostornost dovode u vezu i s glazbenim igrama djece predškolske dobi, Orffovim instrumentarijem kao poticajem i sredstvom djetetova glazbenog razvoja, s likovnim ostvarajima koji se povezuju sa stranim jezikom. Prostor se stavlja i u kontekst poticanja tjelesnog vježbanja u odgojno-obrazovnom procesu kao ključnog čimbenika cjelokupnog djetetova razvoja, te se također ističe važnost provođenja igre na otvorenome (mozaik-pristup), osobito u ovo digitalno doba. Stoga je svakako zanimljiv rad koji se bavi suvremenom problematikom tzv. sharentinga odnosno sve većega roditeljskog izlaganja vlastite djece medijskom prostoru. Dio radova tematizira povezanost fine motorike i razvoja govora u jasličkoj dobi te djetetov doživljaj odgojno-obrazovnog prostora. S obzirom na tematske okvire koji su obuhvaćeni, a dio su stvarnog prostora, odnosno struke, vjerujemo da će ovaj zbornik pomoći u radu prije svega odgojiteljima, studentima predškolskih studija, ostalim stručnjacima i svekolikoj javnosti.

The Black Grouse was considered „main game” in the game species of historical Hungary, but Hungarian hunters never had a way to hunt it widely, so no real hunting cult could develop in Hungary. Already in 1872, under Law VI of 1872, the hunting season was limited to the spring displaying (March, later April-May), and the chicks had to be spared all year round. Restrictions were introduced for the first time in Hungary to protect the Wood Grouse and the Black Grouse, which can be considered the first step in bird protection in Hungary. Hunting was typically a well-known individual hunting method, hunting from a hide, which was made more effective by calling. Cocks were lured partly by imitating the calls of younger competitors and partly by imitating the calls of hens. There are also references in the literature to the use of decoy birds, or „artificial cocks”. Hunting with dogs, drive hunts and bush hunts are also mentioned in domestic descriptions of Black Grouse hunting, but their importance is not significant, and trapping, which was already part of poaching in the second half of the 19th century, was not as important as for the Hazel Grouse. Although its meat was described as tasty and it was traded, it was not a significant economic factor compared to commercial game meat but was consumed for its curiosity. In the period 1884-1909, the main area of known Black Grouse hunting bags (n = 2 723 specimens) in historical Hungary was the North, East and South Carpathian regions. The most stable populations at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries were found in the highland regions (counties of Árva, Gömör-Kishont, Liptó, Szepes, 28.3% in total). The Transylvanian areas showed an earlier decline of the species than the Felvidék. In the present territory of Hungary, the last occurrences of the species in the lowlands were in the late 19th century, while only occasional occurrences are known from the first half of the 20th century in Northern Hungary. Its decline is certainly not due to overexploitation, and this is supported by the hunting bag data from the manors. With the suboptimal habitats, the species had almost completely disappeared from the territory of former historic Hungary by the 20th century. Within our current borders between 1883 and 2010, several attempts at introduction, initially for hunting and later for conservation purposes, were made, but all failed due to the lack of suitable habitat for the Black Grouse.

The Storks were „the bird of the people”, yet even at the end of the 19th century, the two species were still considered economically harmful birds. This was somewhat compensated for by their role in people's lives, but even leading ornithologists did not dispute that they could cause damage to wildlife management and agriculture. However, they stressed the importance of moderation, and perhaps this is the reason why Hungary has not gone as far as Germany, where a shooting fee was paid for the storks. Since the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra L.) nested in undisturbed forests, the White Stork (Ciconia ciconia L.) was the most common species to be targeted for damage. In 1906 they were protected by law, but this did not prevent everyone from killing them. Even in the mid-20th century, there are reports of this happening. National hunting bag data from 1907 to 1909 suggest that they were shot in all parts of the country, but the focus of killing was on the Southern Hungarian Plains.