Search Results (422)

Background: Subjective well-being (SWB) is an essential indicator of successful aging. Although social connections enhance SWB among older adults, few interventions have integrated community-based approaches with information and communication technology (ICT). This study evaluated the Chofu–Digital–Choju (CDC) project, a multi-component community intervention fostering in-person and online social connections among community-dwelling older adults in urban Japan. Methods: This quasi-experimental study (January 2022 to March 2024) included community-dwelling older adults aged 65–84 years in Chofu City, Tokyo, Japan. The intervention consisted of online classes, community hubs as local third places, and community events. Baseline and follow-up data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Propensity score matching (1:1) was used to reduce selection bias, and generalized estimating equations were applied to evaluate the intervention effects. The primary outcome was SWB (Cantril Ladder). The secondary outcomes included social isolation, neighborhood relationships, social participation, health literacy, psychological health, physical activity, and ICT use. Results: Among the 1599 participants who completed both surveys, 209 (13.1%) participated in at least one CDC intervention component. After propensity score matching, 195 pairs were analyzed. No significant interaction effect was observed for SWB (β = 0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.20, 0.37; p = 0.565). However, a significant interaction effect favored the intervention group for Internet usage frequency (odds ratio = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.16; p = 0.016). A significant borderline interaction was also observed in health literacy (β = 0.13, 95% CI: −0.00, 0.26; p = 0.056), which reached significance in covariate-adjusted sensitivity analysis (p = 0.044). Subgroup analyses revealed that community hub participants showed significant interaction effects in health literacy (p = 0.021) and a trend toward reduced depressive symptoms (p = 0.084). Conclusions: The CDC intervention did not improve SWB over 2 years but enhanced Internet use and supported health literacy and depressive symptoms, particularly among hub participants. Community-based, multi-component interventions that integrate online and in-person activities may foster digital inclusion and specific health behaviors. Although SWB did not change in this study, these proximal gains may serve as foundational steps for long-term improvement. The study protocol was preregistered in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000051393; Registered on 21 June 2023). Full article

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)–polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is widely used to fabricate conductive organic coatings for electrodes in electrophysiology. As these devices move toward clinical translation, establishing sterilization methods that preserve their functional properties is essential. Ethylene oxide (EtO) is routinely used for sterilizing heat- and moisture-sensitive medical devices due to its high penetration efficiency and low thermal load. However, the absence of systematic studies evaluating its impact on PEDOT:PSS raises concerns about the compatibility of EtO sterilization with organic electrophysiology interfaces. Here, we report the first comprehensive evaluation of EtO sterilization on PEDOT:PSS electrodes electrochemically deposited onto cortical interfaces designed for intraoperative monitoring and stimulation. EtO exposure induced only minimal changes in surface topography, with no detectable alteration of the electrical or electrochemical performance of the electrodes. Impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and charge-injection capacity measurements all revealed that EtO-treated electrodes retained properties comparable to untreated controls. Moreover, EtO-sterilized PEDOT:PSS coatings demonstrated robust long-term stability under accelerated lifetime testing, exhibiting negligible degradation over extended operation. These findings demonstrate that EtO sterilization is fully compatible with PEDOT:PSS-based bioelectronic interfaces and constitutes a viable pathway toward their safe and effective integration into clinical electrophysiology. This work represents an important step toward translating organic conducting polymer technologies into real-world biomedical applications. Full article

Path planning, as a key technology in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems, affects the overall efficiency of task completion and is often limited by energy consumption, obstacles, and maneuverability in complex application environments. Traditional algorithms have insufficient performance in nonlinear, multimodal, and multiconstraints problems. Based on this, this paper proposes an improved exponential-trigonometric optimization (ETO) to solve a 3D smooth path planning model based on a spherical Bezier curve. Firstly, a fixed arc length resampling strategy is proposed to address the issue of the insufficient adaptability of existing path smoothing methods to dynamic threats. Generate a uniformly distributed set of reference points along the Bezier curve and combine it with spherical projection to improve the safety and efficiency of the flight path. On this basis, establish a total cost function that includes four types of costs. Secondly, a new ETO variant called IETO is proposed by introducing the alpha evolution strategy, noise and physical attack strategy, and opposition-based cross teaching strategy into ETO. Then, the effectiveness of IETO for addressing various optimization problems is showcased through population diversity analysis, ablation analysis, and benchmark experiments. Finally, the results of the simulation experiment indicate that IETO stably provides shorter and smoother safe paths for UAVs in three elevation maps with different terrain features. Full article

Pine needles are traditional herbal remedies used for centuries to treat various ailments, including rheumatism, bronchitis, burns, inflammation, and infections. This study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant, analgesic (peripheral and central), and wound-healing activities of Pinus pinaster (PPN) and Pinus halepensis (PAN) needles while identifying the bioactive compounds responsible for these effects. Phytochemical analysis revealed several phenolic compounds, including p-coumaroylquinic acid, quercetin, narcissin, and myricetin-3-O-glucoside. Both extracts showed strong antioxidant activity, with high total phenolic content (TPC: 384.84 ± 0.84 and 524.46 mg GAE/g DM for PPN and PAN, respectively) and flavonoid content (TFC: 109.44 ± 0.62 and 111.64 ± 0.62 mg QE/g DM, respectively). Peripheral analgesic activity, assessed using the acetic acid-induced writhing test, revealed that PAN (300 mg/kg) significantly reduced pain by 72.3%, while central analgesic effects, evaluated by the tail immersion test, were comparable to the reference drug for both extracts. In vivo wound-healing tests showed accelerated wound contraction and complete closure by day 21, indicating strong regenerative potential. Overall, this study demonstrates that PPN and PAN needle extracts possess significant antioxidant, analgesic, and wound-healing activities, supporting their traditional use and highlighting their potential as natural therapeutic agents for managing oxidative stress, pain, and skin injuries. Full article

This study aims to optimize the estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ETo) in data-scarce regions by integrating ERA5-Land reanalysis data with machine learning (ML) models. Daily meteorological data from 33 stations across Turkey’s diverse climate zones (1981–2010) were utilized to train and validate three ML models: Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM). The methodology involved rigorous quality control of ground-based observations, spatial correlation of ERA5-Land grids to station locations, and performance evaluation under various data-limited scenarios. Results indicate that while ERA5-Land provides highly accurate solar radiation (R_s) and temperature (T) data, variables like wind speed (U₂) and relative humidity (RH) exhibit systematic biases. Among the used models, XGBoost demonstrated superior performance (R² = 0.95, RMSE = 0.43 mm day⁻¹, and MAE = 0.30 mm day⁻¹) and computational efficiency. This study provides a robust, regionally calibrated framework that corrects reanalysis biases using ML, offering a reliable alternative for ETo estimation in areas where local measurements are insufficient for sustainable water management. Full article

Addressing the issues of low positioning accuracy and poor robustness in shaft-rate magnetic fields, this study introduces the Improved Exponential Triangular Optimization Algorithm (IETO). By incorporating adaptive attenuation factors, dynamic population reduction, and intelligent boundary contraction strategies, it significantly enhances the global search capability and robustness. A magnetic dipole localization model is developed, and comparative simulations show that IETO achieves reliable accuracy and robustness under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions, reducing localization error by 7.82% compared with the conventional Exponential Triangular Optimization Algorithm (ETO). The effects of base station deployment, number of stations, and sea depth on localization performance are further examined, and the capability of IETO for dynamic target tracking is verified. Preliminary sea trial results confirm the practical feasibility and engineering applicability of the proposed method. Full article

In light of the evident water scarcity and the challenges posed by climate change, this study aimed to evaluate the physiological, phenological, and productive responses of the potato crop (var. Superchola) under water deficit conditions, with the goal of optimizing water use in Tungurahua Province, Ecuador. Crop tolerance to water stress was assessed using drainage lysimeters under a completely randomized block design with three treatments and three replications: 100% ETo, 75% ETo, and 50% ETo. Soil and climatic parameters were characterized, and the crop coefficient (Kc) was calculated and adjusted for each phenological stage. The results showed that, although the full irrigation treatment (100% ETo) yielded the highest production, the application of a moderate water deficit (75% ETo) achieved a 16.2% water saving without significantly affecting crop yield or development. The maximum Kc value recorded was 1.22 during the maximum crop development stage. Full article

Background/Objectives: Loneliness is a critical public health concern associated with adverse mental and physical health outcomes in later life. However, few large-scale studies have examined loneliness in relation to depression, aspiration risk, frailty, and social participation among Japanese older adults. This study examined associations between loneliness and psychosocial and health-related factors among older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved a secondary analysis of data obtained from online surveys conducted in 2018 and 2021 among 1000 community-dwelling Japanese adults (≥65 years). Loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 and dichotomized at the median to define a high-loneliness group. Depressive symptoms, aspiration risk, frailty, conversation frequency, and volunteering participation were assessed using validated scales. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with loneliness and interaction terms were examined to assess effect modification. Results: High loneliness was observed in 52.2% of participants. Greater loneliness was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (GDS ≥ 5; OR = 4.69, 95% CI: 2.84–7.76), higher dysphagia risk (DRACE score; OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.00–1.16), and lower daily conversation frequency (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67–0.86); however, volunteering (OR = 0.475, 95% CI: 0.23–0.87) was a protective factor. Conclusions: Loneliness among Japanese older adults is closely linked to depressive symptoms and aspiration risk, while frequent conversations and volunteer participation appear to be protective. Community-based interventions promoting social engagement and oral health may mitigate loneliness and its health consequences and improve quality of life for older adults. Given the cross-sectional design, the observed associations should not be interpreted as causal. Full article

Heat stress caused a stagnation in the growth and development of Passiflora edulis Sims. To investigate the effects of high-temperature stress, this study subjected P. edulis to 40 °C treatment for different durations; the changes in chlorophyll content, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, photosynthetic parameters, transcriptome profiles, and photosynthesis-related genes of P. edulis under high-temperature stress were analyzed. The results showed that after 5 h of heat stress, the chlorophyll content of the leaves decreased by 31%, variable fluorescence/maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) decreased by 26.91%, photochemical performance index (PI_abs) by 99.28%, comprehensive performance index (PI_total) by 94.20%, light energy absorbed per unit area (ABS/CSm) by 13.56%, light energy captured per unit area (TRo/CSm) by 17.90% and quantum yield of electron transfer per unit area (ETo/CSm) by 92.61%. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) and stomatal conductance (Gs) decreased by 47%, 41% and 38%, respectively, while intercellular CO₂ concentration (Ci) increased by 1.34 times. Transcriptome sequencing results of P. edulis under heat stress identified 2336 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were significantly enriched in pathways including chloroplast function and plant hormone signal transduction. GO enrichment analysis demonstrated that DEGs were significantly enriched in terms related to catalytic activity and chloroplast components. Concurrently, KEGG pathway analysis revealed that carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms was among the key pathways showing significant enrichment of these DEGs. The expression levels of photosynthesis-related genes, including PePSAE, PeMADs, PebHLH, PeFAR1, PePSBS, PePnsB4, PebZIP and PeC2H2, exhibited a significant increase after 3 h of high-temperature stress and rapidly declined following 5 h. These findings lay a foundation for further research on the high-temperature stress response mechanism and photosynthetic regulation of heat tolerance in P. edulis. Full article

Climate change and water scarcity are major threats to the sustainability of wheat production in Mediterranean regions. Thus, timely and reliable water demand assessments are crucial to drive decisions on crop management strategies that are useful for agricultural adaptation to climate change challenges. Although the AquaCrop model is widely used to infer crop yields, it requires continuous field-based observations (mainly soil water content and crop coverage). Often, these areas suffer from a scarcity of in situ data, suggesting the need for remote sensing and model-based decision support. In this framework, this research intends to compare the performance of the AquaCrop model using four different input combinations, with one employing ERA5-Land and crop cover retrieved by satellite images exclusively. A field experiment was conducted on durum wheat (highly sensitive to water stress and playing a strategic role in national food security) in northwest Tunisia during the growing season of 2024–2025, where meteorological variables, green Canopy Cover (gCC), Soil Water Content (SWC), and final yields (biological and grain) were monitored. The AquaCrop model was applied. Four model input combinations were evaluated. In situ meteorological data or ERA5-Land (E5L) reanalysis were combined with either measured-gCC (measured-gCC) or Sentinel-2 NDVI-derived gCC (NDVI-gCC). The results showed that E5L reproduced temperature with RMSE < 2.4 °C (NSE > 0.72) and ETo with RMSE equal to 0.57 mm d⁻¹ (NSE = 0.79), while precipitation presented larger discrepancies (RMSE = 4.14 mm d⁻¹, NSE = 0.58). Sentinel-2 effectively captured gCC dynamics (RMSE = 15.65%, NSE = 0.73) and improved AquaCrop perfomance (RMSE = 5.29%, NSE = 0.93). Across all combinations, AquaCrop reproduced yields within acceptable deviations. The simulated biological yield ranged from 9.7 to 11.0 t ha⁻¹ compared to the observed 10.3 t ha⁻¹, while grain yield ranged from 3.0 to 3.5 t ha⁻¹ against the observed 3.3 t ha⁻¹. As expected, the best agreement with measured yield data was obtained using in situ meteorological data and measured-gCC, even if the use of in situ meteorological data coupled with NDVI-gCC, or E5L-based meteorological data coupled with NDVI-gCC, produced realistic estimates. These results highlight that the application of AquaCrop employing E5L and Sentinel-2 inputs is a feasible alternative for crop monitoring in data-scarce environments. Full article

Accurate estimation of reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) is essential for irrigation planning in semi-arid Mediterranean regions. This study evaluated temperature-based and neural network models for estimating daily ET_o and its accumulated values over multiple timescales, using data from two lysimeter stations in Albacete and Badajoz, Spain. Model performance was assessed against the FAO56 PM equation and against lysimeter measurements to quantify the joint effect of benchmark choice and temporal aggregation. Under FAO56 PM benchmarking, RRMSE for temperature-based models in Albacete decreased from about 0.18 for daily ET_o to around 0.08 for monthly accumulated ET_o, while complex models achieved daily RRMSE near 0.06–0.07, and all models exhibited RRMSE below 0.08 at monthly and longer scales. When lysimeter ET_o was used as the benchmark, errors increased and became more variable in winter, with daily RRMSE often exceeding 0.22, indicating reduced lysimeter reliability under cold, calm conditions. Overall, extending the estimation interval from daily to multi-day periods markedly reduced errors and narrowed differences among models. These results show that, in the semi-arid Mediterranean environments studied, temperature-based models can provide operationally reliable estimates at irrigation-relevant timescales, while FAO56 PM offers a more robust primary benchmark than lysimeter measurements for winter irrigation planning. Full article

Manufacturers increasingly face the challenge of delivering high product variety while managing the internal complexity and costs this creates across the value chain. Modular product architectures are often promoted as a solution, yet adoption remains limited due to the absence of robust, quantitative tools for evaluating their systemic effects. This study develops and applies a data-driven framework that explicitly links product variety and complexity to overhead activities across the value chain. The framework integrates principles from time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC), complexity management, and hierarchical product decomposition, and is operationalized through a structured methodology that combines semi-structured interviews, enterprise resource planning (ERP) data analysis, and model-based simulations. This enables the allocation of previously untraceable cost pools such as engineering, procurement, production preparation, and sales hours to the product structure. Application in an engineer-to-order (ETO) equipment manufacturer demonstrates how the framework can identify high-impact subsystems, quantify potential reductions in engineering and procurement hours, and support scenario testing of alternative product architectures. The results indicate that even approximate estimates provide valuable, directional insights into customization-driven cost distributions. The study concludes that the framework constitutes a scalable and flexible decision-support tool for bridging the gap between theoretical modularization benefits and their quantification in industrial practice. Full article

Freshwater scarcity and saline groundwater are major constraints for maintaining green roofs in coastal areas. This study evaluated the response of Jacobaea maritima subsp. sicula, (Sicilian silver ragwort) a drought-tolerant coastal ornamental plant, to tap water and seawater irrigation under Mediterranean summer conditions. Plants were grown in 10 cm-deep green-roof modules and subjected to six irrigation regimes: tap water, seawater, or alternating tap water and seawater, each applied at 4- or 8-day intervals, with irrigation volumes equal to 60% of cumulative reference evapotranspiration (ET_o). Growth, relative water content (RWC), chlorophyll index (SPAD), and leachate electrical conductivity were monitored to assess plant performance and salinity responses. Seawater irrigation caused rapid substrate salinization, leaf dehydration, and plant death within one month, while alternating seawater with tap water also failed to sustain survival. In contrast, tap water–irrigated plants maintained high RWC, chlorophyll content, and stable visual quality throughout the experimental period, even with deficit irrigation at 60% ET_o every eight days. These findings demonstrate that J. maritima subsp. sicula is well suited for freshwater-irrigated extensive green roofs in semi-arid regions, providing reliable performance under infrequent irrigation and limited water supply. However, seawater or high-salinity irrigation should be avoided. Future research should explore mixed freshwater–seawater irrigation regimes with a higher freshwater proportion, aiming to reduce total freshwater consumption while sustaining plant survival and esthetic performance. Full article

Additive manufacturing (AM) is rapidly transforming clinical workflows in dentistry by enabling the customized, efficient, and digitally integrated production of dental devices. However, the existing literature lacks a process-oriented perspective on its technical and operational impact. This study aims to address this gap through a dual-phase analysis using the Input–Transformation–Output (ITO) framework, providing practical insights into the operational reconfiguration enabled by AM. The first phase examined materials, image acquisition methods, design and lamination software, printing technologies, and key parameters across each stage of the AM workflow. The second phase analyzed four clinical applications (dental models, crowns and bridges, occlusal splints, and surgical guides) supported by a structured fabrication protocol and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of 18 resin samples to assess surface quality and process-related defects. In addition, for each application, a comparative process analysis with traditional workflows was conducted using ASME diagramming. The findings indicate that AM reduces cycle times, manual intervention, and supply chain reliance while enabling production models such as Make-to-Order (MTO) and Engineer-to-Order (ETO). Its integration also fosters decentralized, in-clinic manufacturing with enhanced autonomy, flexibility, and reduced lead times. Nonetheless, this study highlights persisting challenges, including post-processing quality control, training requirements, and cost-efficiency concerns in low-volume settings. A hybrid model combining AM with conventional methods emerges as a pragmatic strategy for clinical adoption. Full article