Search Results (47,489)

The development of functional foods has historically centered on the identification and enhancement of bioactive compounds; however, bioactivity alone does not guarantee successful translation into safe, stable, and regulatory-compliant products. A substantial proportion of functional ingredients fail during commercialization due to inadequate consideration of processing stability, food safety risks, and regulatory constraints at early stages of product design. This narrative review presents an integrated, application-oriented framework for functional food development that systematically links processing technologies, safety assurance, and regulatory readiness. Conventional and emerging processing approaches, including fermentation, thermal treatments, high-pressure processing, and non-thermal technologies, are critically examined with respect to their effects on the stability, functionality, and bioavailability of bioactive constituents within complex food matrices. Key safety challenges, including microbiological hazards, process-induced chemical contaminants, and quality degradation during storage, are discussed in the context of industrial scalability. In parallel, regulatory considerations related to ingredient classification, substantiation of functional claims, and market authorization across major jurisdictions are reviewed to identify common translational bottlenecks. To bridge the gap between laboratory research and real-world application, a Functional Food Readiness Framework is proposed to support early-stage evaluation of technological feasibility, safety compliance, and regulatory alignment. This holistic perspective aims to guide the design of functional foods that are not only biologically effective, but also robust, safe, and commercially viable. The proposed framework can assist researchers, product developers, and food industry stakeholders in making informed decisions during functional food formulation, process optimization, and regulatory strategy development. Full article

This study analyzes the impact of China’s smart city pilot policy (CSCP) on green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) using panel data from 245 cities (2006–2021). Applying the multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method, results show that CSCP significantly promotes GTFEE. CSCP improves urban GTFEE by about 6.18%. Meanwhile, CSCP contributes to the enhancement of GTFEE by stimulating green technological innovation and improving the efficiency of resource allocation. These impacts are particularly evident in cities characterized by higher levels of digitalization, peripherality, and being non-resource-based. The findings provide a framework for advancing urban green transitions and integrating smart and green development strategies, highlighting the importance of technology innovation in global energy governance. Full article

The objective of this scientific study is to examine whether the climate change attention of the chief executive officer promotes corporate social responsibility. To perform the extensive calculations required for this analysis, the study utilizes comprehensive panel data sourced from Carbon Disclosure Project, KLD, and financial databases. The scientific research methods used include two-stage instrumental variable estimation and difference-in-differences approaches to rigorously establish a causal relationship. The results identify a significant positive correlation between chief executive officer climate change attention and overall corporate social responsibility. Specifically, this executive focus significantly improves external and internal corporate social responsibility while reducing socially irresponsible performance; however, it does not enhance material corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, the findings indicate that this positive effect is significantly amplified when chief executive officers are in the early stages of their careers or receive high compensation, particularly equity-based compensation. Additionally, the implementation of a corporate low-carbon strategy serves as an important mediating channel for improving social performance. In conclusion, executive cognitive attention is a fundamental determinant of a firm’s strategic behaviors. It is recommended that corporate boards structure equity-based compensation to align with sustainability goals and actively support low-carbon strategies to maximize the positive impact of executive attention on sustainable development. Full article

Background: While hydroxyapatite (HA) is considered stable and non-resorbable, other calcium phosphate phases such as Tricalcium Phosphate (TCP), Brushite, and Monetite are characterized by higher solubility and biodegradation rates. This review aims to map the clinical evidence of these resorbable phases. Objective: The aim of this scoping review was to map and synthesize the available clinical evidence on resorbable calcium phosphate phases, focusing on TCP-, brushite-, and monetite-based biomaterials in alveolar bone regeneration. The review evaluates clinical indications, surgical protocols, reported outcomes, and existing knowledge gaps. Methods: This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and SCI Clarivate databases without language or time restrictions (from June 2025 to August 2025) using terms related to brushite, monetite, dicalcium phosphate anhydrous, ridge augmentation, bone regeneration, and dental implants. Clinical studies involving brushite- or monetite-based biomaterials used for alveolar bone regeneration were eligible, including randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, and case series. Data were charted descriptively with respect to study design, patient characteristics, clinical scenario, biomaterials used, surgical approach, healing time, outcome measures, and reported complications. No meta-analysis or formal assessment of comparative clinical effectiveness was undertaken, in line with scoping review methodology. Results: Seven clinical studies were included. The identified evidence encompassed heterogeneous clinical scenarios, including post-extraction alveolar ridge preservation, localized ridge augmentation, and periodontal or intraosseous defects with relevance to future implant placement. Study designs, defect characteristics, biomaterial formulations, and outcome measures varied substantially. Across studies, brushite- and monetite-based materials were associated with new bone formation and progressive graft resorption, as assessed by clinical, radiographic, and histological outcomes. Direct comparisons between studies were not feasible due to methodological and clinical heterogeneity. Conclusions: The available literature on brushite- and monetite-based biomaterials in alveolar bone regeneration is limited and heterogeneous. Current evidence supports their biocompatibility and resorbable nature across different clinical contexts, but does not allow conclusions regarding comparative clinical effectiveness. This scoping review highlights important gaps in the literature, particularly the need for well-designed randomized clinical trials with standardized indications and outcome measures. Full article

Large-scale Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) are increasingly essential as Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) assume ancillary service duties once supplied by conventional generation, yet scaling a VPP exposes a persistent trilemma among economic efficiency, data privacy, and operational security. Centralized coordination can approach optimal revenue but requires collecting fine-grained DER operational data and creates a single point of compromise. Federated Learning (FL) mitigates raw data centralization by keeping measurements and experience local, but it introduces a fragile trust assumption that the aggregator will correctly and fairly combine model updates. This trust gap is acute in reinforcement learning-based VPP control because aggregation deviations, including selectively dropping updates, manipulating weights, replaying stale models, or injecting a replacement model, can silently bias the learned policy and degrade both profit and compliance. We propose a zero-knowledge federated reinforcement learning framework for trustless VPP coordination in which each DER trains a local deep reinforcement learning agent to solve a multi-objective dispatch problem that balances ancillary service revenue against battery degradation under operational and grid constraints, while the global aggregation step is made externally verifiable. In each round, participants bind membership via signed receipts and commit to their updates, and the aggregator produces a zk-SNARK, proving that the published global parameters equal the agreed aggregation rule applied to the receipt-bound set of committed updates under a fixed-point encoding with range constraints. Verification is lightweight and can be performed independently by each DER, removing the need to trust the aggregator for aggregation integrity without centralizing raw DER operational data or trajectories. The proposed design does not aim to hide model updates from the aggregator. Instead, it provides external verifiability of the aggregation computation while keeping raw measurements and local experience. We formalize the threat model and verifiable security properties for aggregation correctness and update inclusion, present a circuit construction with proof complexity characterized by model dimension and fleet size, and evaluate the approach in power and cyber co-simulation on the IEEE 33 bus feeder with ancillary service signals. Results show near-centralized economic performance under benign conditions and improved robustness to aggregator side deviations compared to standard federated reinforcement learning. Full article

This paper aims to assess the main drivers influencing business cycle synchronization within the G7 countries. In addition to key elements such as the intensity of bilateral trade and the influence of financial linkages on synchronization; we introduce a new variable that represents the political alignment, which can substantially impact synchronization. In this study, we utilize the variable political distance as a proxy for political alignment, alongside traditional measures of trade intensity, and financial metrics, to examine their effects on business cycle synchronization within the G7. By considering annual data for the period 2013–2023, our findings reveal a positive and significant relationship between trade intensity and financial linkages and synchronization, while political distance exerts a negative and significant impact on synchronization. Consequently, in addition to trade intensity and financial linkages, it is essential for policymakers to take political alignment with their partners into account, even when trade volumes are similar. Full article

In recent years, social networks have shown a great influx of new users and traffic. As their popularity grows, so does the interest in researching ways to process the information available, in order to produce useful knowledge. One direction is making personalized recommendations based on users’ preferences and on their social behavior and related characteristics in general. Static recommendations, however, are proven to be highly inaccurate, since as time progresses, people tend to change their preferences, making different decisions than the ones predicted previously. This calls for an adaptive algorithm that shifts according to the changes in preferences and habits of the users. Handling the stream of information is challenging, as the new data can severely change the recommendations to many users. In this work, we propose a novel streaming Point-of-Interest recommendation algorithm that explicitly incorporates location-aware features into its dynamic update mechanism, enabling continuous adaptation to newly arriving data. The proposed approach is experimentally evaluated based on real-life data sets containing the network structure as well as check-in information. The results demonstrate high accuracy, achieving at the same time significant performance gains with respect to runtime costs compared to conventional approaches. Full article

Composite solid propellant mixers face severe post-mixing cleaning challenges, especially for high-burn-rate propellants. Manual cleaning remains necessary due to the high viscosity and friction sensitivity of energetic ballistic modifiers (EBMs), which hinders automation and poses safety risks. This study explores the wall slip behavior of high-burn-rate propellants (non-Newtonian fluids)—a phenomenon that departs from the no-slip boundary condition in fluid mechanics (where fluid velocity at the solid surface is assumed to be zero) and occurs when the applied shear stress exceeds a critical value—and its application in mixer cleaning. We performed rheological tests using HAAKE Viscotester IQ (Couette system) (Thermo Fisher Scientific, located in Karlsruhe, Germany) and TA/ARES-G2 rheometer (parallel plate system) (TA Instruments, located in New Castle, DE, USA) to analyze the shear stress, viscosity, and wall slip characteristics of the propellants and inert materials. Tests on three inert materials (A, B, C) showed that A and B exhibit wall slip with shear stress exceeding 2313.6 Pa, achieving complete or near-complete residue removal. In contrast, C does not exhibit wall slip and has insufficient stress, resulting in poor cleaning performance. This work verifies that leveraging the wall slip behavior of high-burn-rate propellants with inert materials can achieve manual-free mixer cleaning, laying a foundation for future unmanned, automated cleaning of high-burn-rate propellant mixers. Full article

Expanding research indicates that oxidative stress, particularly mitochondrial oxidative stress, is one of the key components in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mitochondrial oxidative stress is largely driven by impaired function of electron transport chain (ETC) complexes and their regulators. This study conducted an immunohistochemical analysis of ETC proteins (α-subunit of complex V, subunits MTCO1 and MTCO2 of complex IV) and mitochondrial complex V inhibitor IF-1 in the neurons of the caudate nucleus head, hippocampus, anterior cingulate gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule using autopsy material from patients with sporadic AD. Comparisons were made with similar brain regions in autopsy material from age-matched elderly patients and young patients. The results revealed a pattern of ETC impairment in AD fundamentally distinct from that observed in physiological aging. Specifically, a hippocampus-specific failure of the adaptive response was identified: unlike other brain regions, compensatory upregulation of ATP synthase does not occur here despite critical reduction in the protective protein IF-1, directly explaining the heightened vulnerability of hippocampal neurons to damage. Our data deepen the understanding of AD pathogenesis by highlighting region-specific mitochondrial defects as promising targets for tailored therapeutic intervention. Full article

Theological engagement with artificial intelligence has largely focused on applied ethics, addressing bias, governance, and labor displacement. While indispensable, this framing often presumes that algorithmic systems operate as external instruments acting upon already constituted subjects. This article argues that contemporary predictive architectures intervene at a deeper anthropological level by structuring attention, expectation, and habituation prior to deliberative judgment. It introduces the concept of ordo extractionis to designate a technologically mediated regime of formation characterized by behavioral trace extraction, probabilistic modeling, and recursive projection of statistically inferred continuity. Drawing on Augustine’s account of ordered love and temporality and Aquinas’s doctrine of habitus and the invisible mission of the Spirit, the article distinguishes algorithmic projection from sanctification as divergent pedagogies of temporal formation. Predictive systems stabilize continuity by extrapolating from measurable past behavior; sanctification reorders desire teleologically toward a final end not deducible from prior pattern and grounded in non-competitive divine causality. Algorithmic mediation is therefore interpreted pedagogically rather than metaphysically: it does not rival divine agency but participates creaturely in shaping the ecology within which habituation unfolds. Engagement with contemporary AI research on recommender systems, reinforcement learning, and generative models situates the argument within technological realism and resists determinism. The digital twin is analyzed as a probabilistic representation that acquires institutional authority when operationalized in ranking, profiling, and evaluative systems, without constituting a metaphysical competitor to the imago Dei. In response to anticipatory closure, Eucharistic anamnesis and epiclesis are developed as practices that re-situate memory and expectation within eschatological promise. The article concludes that the central theological question posed by AI is not whether machines can think, but how formative sovereignty over desire is exercised within technologically mediated modernity. Full article

This paper examines how employees in Croatian hotels relate their direct supervisors’ leadership behaviors to job satisfaction. Survey data were collected from 153 hotel employees across departments and hotels of different sizes. Leadership was assessed through five styles (autocratic, laissez-faire, democratic, transformational, and transactional), while job satisfaction was measured across six dimensions. The hypothesized relationships were tested using competitive regression models in which all leadership styles were entered simultaneously, complemented by a moderation test and relative-importance analysis. The results show a differentiated pattern. Transformational leadership is positively related to staff development and management satisfaction and also shows a positive association with salary satisfaction. Transactional leadership is most strongly linked to salary satisfaction, while it relates negatively to staff development satisfaction when other styles are controlled. Democratic leadership is positively associated with management satisfaction, but its unique association with staff development satisfaction is contingent on hotel size: it is negative in small hotels and attenuates to non-significance in medium-sized and large hotels. Autocratic leadership is generally associated with lower satisfaction in key domains, whereas laissez-faire leadership does not show meaningful unique effects in the competitive models. These findings provide evidence from the Croatian hotel sector and suggest that leadership development and HR support systems should be aligned with the specific satisfaction domains hotels seek to improve. Full article

Industries seek microorganisms capable of producing all types of cellulases, using low-cost substrate and under adequate process conditions, especially through submerged fermentation. Pleurotus ostreatus “L123” was evaluated as a potential microorganism for cellulase production, assaying total cellulolytic activity (FPase). Fermentation was carried out using a 14L bioreactor, inoculated with 10% (v/v) grown on potato dextrose broth for 4 days. Fermentation media was composed of defatted rice bran (50 g/L), glucose (5 g/L), corn steep liquor (5 g/L) and chloramphenicol (0.25 g/L). Aeration and agitation effects on enzymatic activity were evaluated using a central composite design (CCD) for FPase after 5 days of fermentation. The obtained model was statistically significant, with the interaction of both parameters also being significant and presenting a negative effect. Membrane ultrafiltration (150 kDa MWCO) led to an approximately 3-fold increase in specific activity of permeate (0.6441 vs. 0.2043 FPU/mg of protein), with retention of around 80% of protein content while maintaining enzymatic activity of permeate similar to unfiltered broth (0.0932 vs. 0.0923 FPU/mL). The maximum value obtained experimentally was 0.1444 FPU/mL, which is significantly lower in comparison to commercially used strains and consequently unfeasible for industrial use at current state. However, after further improvements and optimization, Pleurotus ostreatus “L123” can become an alternative for in situ cellulase production through submerged fermentation. Full article

This study systematically investigates the effect of trace Ti addition on the impact toughness and underlying deformation mechanisms of high-Mn austenitic steel from 298 K to 4.2 K through instrumented Charpy impact testing, dynamic J-R curve analysis, and multi-scale microstructural characterization (SEM, TEM). The results show that Ti addition leads to the formation of Ti(C,N) precipitations, which act as microcrack initiation sites and significantly reduce the impact-absorbed energy at room temperature (298 K) from 249 J to 189 J. However, as the temperature decreases to liquid nitrogen (77 K) and liquid helium (4.2 K) temperatures, the impact toughness of the Ti-added steel does not deteriorate further and remains comparable to that of the Base steel. This temperature-dependent behavior originates from a transition in the dominant deformation mode. At room and moderately low temperatures, deformation is primarily governed by dislocation slip, whose strong interaction with coarse precipitates leads to premature cracking. At cryogenic temperatures, the significantly reduced stacking fault energy (SFE) shifts the deformation mechanism to the predominant formation of high-density nano-twins. These dense deformation twins enhance the matrix via the dynamic Hall–Petch effect and mitigate the detrimental effect of precipitates by alleviating interactions between dislocations and precipitates. Full article

Background/Objectives: Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is a frequent adverse effect of opioid therapy. In contrast to other opioid-related side effects, OIC usually does not improve over time and significantly impairs the quality of life of affected patients. Despite its high prevalence, OIC remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in clinical practice, which has been demonstrated in several European countries. Healthcare data indicates that approximately 2.3 million people in Germany received potentially OIC-inducing opioids in 2023, the majority being patients with chronic non-cancer pain. Methods: An interdisciplinary board of experts in gastroenterology, pain medicine, neurology, oncology, and palliative care developed consensus-based recommendations to improve the diagnosis and management of OIC. Fifteen statements were drafted according to current national German and international guidelines and literature and subsequently discussed. Out of the fifteen statements, twelve statements remained, which achieved consensus with at least 90% agreement. Results: The consensus statements address key aspects of OIC management, including pathophysiology, patient education, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and structured follow-up. Following the statements, a practical treatment algorithm was developed to facilitate clinical implementation. Use of validated tools such as the Bowel Function Index (BFI) for diagnosis and monitoring, early initiation of laxative therapy and timely escalation to mechanism-oriented therapy with peripherally acting μ-opioid receptor antagonists (PAMORAs) in cases of inadequate response have been recommended by the panel. Accordingly, treatment should follow an approach with the following steps: (1) Laxative, (2) switch to PAMORA, (3) rotation of PAMORA, and (4) combination of PAMORA with laxative. In Europe, the PAMORAs methylnaltrexone, naloxegol and naldemedine are approved for the treatment of OIC. Conclusions: This consensus paper provides both evidence-based and practice-oriented recommendations for the systematic management of OIC. By promoting patient education, early recognition, structured evaluation and stepwise treatment escalation, the presented statements and algorithm aim to improve patient outcomes and quality of life under opioid therapy including better adherence to opioid therapy. Full article

This paper presents an original positional pneumatic actuator for long-stroke coordinate mechanisms. The design integrates a rodless pneumatic cylinder, a jet control system, and an external braking device. It achieves a positioning accuracy of 200 microns, a discrete step of 2 mm, and an average speed of 0.15 m/s over a maximum stroke of 6 m. This solution offers a two-fold improvement in technical, economic, and operational performance compared to electromechanical drives. A mathematical model of the drive was developed using SimInTech software and validated with a custom-built experimental stand. The discrepancy between calculated and experimental data does not exceed 18%. The study established the dependence of positioning accuracy on the load and kinematic characteristics of the drive, which helps reduce design time for coordinate mechanisms. As a result of the research, a new scheme of a positional pneumatic actuator has been developed and experimentally confirmed, which allows for a two-fold improvement in technical and economic indicators compared to electromechanical analogs due to the original combination of a rodless cylinder, a jet control system, and an external braking device. Full article