Search Results (290)

According to recent estimates, France is home to approximately 700,000 individuals of Turkish origin, encompassing first-, second-, and third-generation immigrants. Scholars have extensively investigated the language practices, maintenance, and shift, as well as the cultural practices and identity construction, of Turkish migrant families in France, employing both sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic approaches. However, the majority of these studies have examined family members in isolation, focusing separately on young children, adolescents, or parents. The present study aims to investigate language use, choice, and maintenance, as well as identity construction, across three generations of Turkish immigrants in France. Data were collected from two Turkish families, one in the Rouen region and the other in the Paris region: the first family consists of a father, his daughter, and his granddaughter, while the second family includes a mother, her daughter, and her granddaughter. To do this, we used questionnaires and semi-structured interviews tailored to each of the three generations. The data were subsequently analyzed through content analysis. The paper addresses the following interconnected research questions: (i) What intergenerational differences exist within the same family regarding language use and choice, as well as linguistic competence in L1 (Turkish) and L2 (French)? (ii) How do bilinguals’ language choices and usage relate to the construction of family members’ identities? (iii) Is there evidence of language attrition among third-generation immigrants? (iv) Is there evidence of an ongoing language shift toward L2 within Turkish families? The findings indicate robust maintenance of Turkish, even among the third generation. While the first generation predominantly uses Turkish, both the second and third generations identify themselves as bilingual and exhibit positive attitudes toward both languages. Full article

As urban housing becomes increasingly compact and companion animals become more deeply integrated into domestic life, human–cat cohabitation presents design challenges related to spatial efficiency, furniture wear, maintenance, and everyday coexistence. This study examines shared-interface conflicts in compact apartments and proposes an integrated SOR–Kano–FBS pathway for sustainable human–cat shared furniture design. In-home observations, semi-structured interviews, behavioral path recording, and Kano questionnaires were used to identify high-frequency activity contexts and prioritize user requirements. These requirements were translated through the FBS model into functional objectives, behavioral scripts, and structural strategies. The results indicate that ease of cleaning and maintenance, structural stability and user-perceived safety, and dedicated scratching guidance primarily represent must-be requirements. Movement-path separation, centralized storage, and aesthetic integration function as performance-enhancing requirements, whereas shared yet stratified zoning, elevated observation points, and moderate visual connection improve the cohabitation experience. Two conceptual designs—a human–cat shared living-room sofa system and a foldable work/study system—were developed. Their descriptive comprehensive acceptance indices were 0.802 and 0.794, respectively, while a combined conventional-furniture reference set scored 0.520. Because the reference set represented two conventional activity contexts, these values were used only as diagnostic, user-perception-based evidence and not as inferential proof or a direct ranking between the schemes. The findings suggest that the proposed pathway can support design-level sustainability in compact human–cat cohabitation; however, further validation through physical prototypes, long-term in-home testing, and life-cycle assessment is required. Full article

Background: Despite a growing awareness of the obvious disadvantages of car travel for drivers (e.g., cost and health) and society (e.g., external costs and infrastructure maintenance), commuting by car to work is the prevailing mode of transport in the UK. Methods: A digital model of work and home locations in England and Wales using OSRM was created to compare the effective accessibility of e-bikes and cars for those working in an office five days a week. This accessibility metric is extended by the effective speed concept. The latter accounts for time spent travelling alongside the time spent working to offset commuting costs. Results: s-pedelecs offer, in various settings, the highest effective accessibility scores. Commuting by car is only advisable for individuals with a higher wage and time availability. If only the variable cost of the car commute is considered, then driving becomes the most expedient choice for many. Conclusions: Commuting by car is undoubtedly the fastest option for wealthy individuals. Whereas those less affluent in terms of time and money may opt for an e-bike, as commuting by car may not yield the commonly anticipated savings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Muscular dystrophies (MDs) are progressive neuromuscular disorders in which rehabilitation is central to management, yet conventional physical therapy in children is constrained by motivation, accessibility, and the need to adapt across disease stages. Virtual reality (VR) offers an interactive, adaptable, and home-deliverable alternative, but prior reviews focused narrowly on upper-limb outcomes in Duchenne muscular dystrophy or on motor-learning paradigms. We aimed to evaluate VR-based rehabilitation in children and adolescents with MD across feasibility/adherence, engagement and psychological outcomes, and clinical motor outcomes, and to propose a stage-based conceptual framework. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched on 21 April 2026, following PRISMA 2020 (PROSPERO CRD420261380539). Eligible studies enrolled children or adolescents (mean age ≤ 18 years or separable pediatric data) with any MD who received VR/AR/MR/exergame/serious-game rehabilitation. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2.0 and ROBINS-I, and certainty with GRADE. Given substantial heterogeneity, findings were synthesized narratively by disease stage. Results: Eight studies (2017–2024; 221 participants) met the inclusion criteria. No serious VR-related adverse events occurred, and feasibility and tolerability were consistently favorable. Engagement and psychological outcomes showed favorable trends, including sustained motivation and reduced perceived fatigue. Clinical motor outcomes were heterogeneous and stage-dependent. Conclusions: The evidence base is limited and clinically heterogeneous, precluding meta-analysis, with Low GRADE certainty for feasibility, safety, and adherence and Very low for the remaining four domains. Key limitations include small sample sizes, substantial clinical and methodological heterogeneity, and only a single advanced-stage study. The findings provisionally support a stage-dependent role for VR-based rehabilitation in pediatric MD: motor training in the ambulatory stage, upper-limb maintenance and interface-adapted training in the transitional stage, and feasibility-, engagement-, and psychological-support applications in advanced disease. Stage-stratified trials with standardized, domain-specific outcomes and explicit virtual-to-real transfer assessment are warranted. Full article

The operational safety and longevity of Lithium-ion Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) battery packs depend on the early detection of gradual cell degradation rather than reactive fault protection. Conventional Battery Management Systems (BMS) predominantly rely on fixed threshold-based mechanisms, which are insufficient for identifying long-term abnormal trends at the individual cell level preceding failure. This studyproposes an intelligent IoT-based battery monitoring and visualization framework for trend-oriented abnormal behavior analysis in a 72 V, 20 cell NMC battery pack. A JK-BMS performs cell voltage acquisition, while an ESP32-S3 microcontroller operates as an IoT gateway, wirelessly collecting high-resolution cell level data via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The data are transmitted to a Home Assistant platform, which provides centralized time-series visualization and comparative cell analytics. The primary contribution is a heuristic anomaly detection algorithm that evaluates temporal voltage trends of individual cells, with emphasis on instability within the critical operating range of 3.0–3.5 V. Unlike conventional threshold-based approaches, the proposed method detects repeated abnormal patterns over time. A frequency-based alert mechanism categorizes battery health into normal, warning, and critical states based on cumulative anomaly occurrences, enabling progressive degradation assessment. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework effectively identifies early-stage degradation patterns that remain undetected by conventional BMS logic. The system supports predictive maintenance, enhances operational safety, and provides a scalable, cost-effective solution for advanced battery health monitoring in electric mobility and distributed energy storage applications. Full article

Language embodies traditions, values, and collective identity, bridging gaps between generations and geographies. Maintaining consistent language policies at home and in communities remains challenging, with research showing that only a few families have explicit rules about language use and few enforce them regularly. The study explores strategies for heritage language maintenance (HLM) to mitigate language attrition among Anaañ bilinguals residing in the Akpabuyo and Calabar South Local Government Areas of Cross River State, Nigeria. The study draws on social identity theory, which links language use to identity, motivation, and group affiliation, thereby influencing language maintenance. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 40 participants, selected purposively from Anaañ speakers in the study areas. Thematic analysis is employed to identify patterns and themes, revealing approaches for heritage language maintenance to curb language attrition. Findings reveal that despite some Anaañ speakers’ negative attitude towards their HL, others value it, keep it alive, and are ready to pass it to the future generations. This will preserve cultural identity and foster a sense of pride, belonging and shared values among Anaañ people, especially those residing in Southern Cross River State. Full article

The rapid evolution of Smart Homes and Smart Buildings is driven by the transition from the Internet of Things (IoT) to the Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT). Within this scenario, Security Systems are particularly critical and data-intensive systems. Despite extensive research, a high-level synthesis focusing exclusively on the synergy between AIoT and Security Systems in Smart Home and Smart Building application domains is still lacking. To bridge this gap, this paper presents a systematic Tertiary Study (TS) following a well-known research protocol. 13 Secondary Studies (SSs) were synthesized and discussed from an initial pool of 139 publications (years 2024–2025). Findings reveal that monitoring is the most addressed system, followed by security and alarm, while surveillance and access control remain comparatively underexplored. Moreover, results highlight a definitive shift toward Edge and Fog computing to meet latency and privacy requirements, whereas Deep Learning and Ensemble Learning techniques predominate for anomaly detection and predictive maintenance. This study identifies open challenges and future research directions, providing a foundational roadmap for resilient, cognitive-driven security infrastructures in smart environments. Full article

Background: Custom-made subperiosteal implants have re-emerged as a valuable option for the rehabilitation of patients with severe maxillofacial atrophy and post-oncological defects. Despite advances in digital workflows and implant design, their unique anatomical, biological, and prosthetic characteristics pose specific challenges for long-term maintenance, and no dedicated standardized guidelines are currently available. Methods: This narrative review critically appraises the available literature on implant maintenance and related fields. A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, including studies on peri-implant maintenance, supportive periodontal therapy, full-arch and zygomatic implant rehabilitations, and subperiosteal implants. Due to the lack of direct evidence, a qualitative narrative synthesis was adopted to develop preliminary clinical considerations for maintenance of custom-made subperiosteal implants. These considerations should be interpreted as an expert-informed perspective rather than validated clinical guidelines. Results: Conventional maintenance protocols developed for endosseous implants are not directly transferable to subperiosteal implants due to differences in the implant–tissue interface, biomechanics, diagnostic parameters, and hygiene accessibility. Key challenges include the absence of a conventional peri-implant sulcus, possible implant exposure, complex prosthetic geometries, and potential susceptibility to biofilm accumulation in areas with limited access. Evidence from related fields highlights the importance of structured maintenance, individualized risk-based follow-up, effective biofilm control, and patient-specific home-care strategies. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence-informed clinical considerations for the maintenance of subperiosteal implants are proposed, with emphasis on plaque control, individualized follow-up, descriptive clinical monitoring, and hygiene-oriented prosthetic and surgical planning. These considerations are not intended as validated guidelines, but as a practical starting point for clinical reasoning in an area where dedicated evidence remains limited. Full article

Importance: Evidence regarding the organization of civilian health care systems in active war zones is limited, yet critical for maintaining services for vulnerable populations. Objective: To describe the operational challenges and adaptive strategies implemented by an opioid agonist therapy (OAT) clinic to ensure continuity of care for patients maintained on methadone and buprenorphine during a period of prolonged armed conflict. Design: A descriptive case study of clinical, logistical, and regulatory adaptations following the escalation of conflict in Israel beginning 7 October 2023, through the 12-day Israel-Iran war in June 2025. Setting: A hospital-based ambulatory methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) clinic in the Tel Aviv region. Participants: A vulnerable population of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) receiving daily or supervised OAT. Exposure(s): National emergency conditions, including mass evacuations, fluctuating missile threats from multiple fronts (Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen), and direct regional strikes in 2024 and 2025. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): The primary focus was maintaining treatment continuity through rapid protocol modifications and expanded take-home dose (THD) regulations. Results: The conflict necessitated immediate departures from standard clinical protocols. Key adaptations included the rapid expansion of THD eligibility to mitigate the risks associated with travel to the clinic during active shelling and the reallocation of resources. Regulatory frameworks were iteratively revised as the security situation evolved, shifting from daily supervised dosing to flexible, safety-oriented dispensing models. Conclusions and Relevance: Findings suggest that during national emergencies, decentralizing OAT through expanded THD regulations is essential to prevent treatment interruption and relapse. These adaptive strategies offer a framework for health policy in other conflict-affected regions to protect high-risk populations. Full article

Cognition in older adults may be influenced by environmental factors; however, the pathways linking environmental exposures and cognition remain unclear. The aim of this narrative review is to synthesize evidence on the association between the environment and cognition in older adults, integrating biological, environmental, and behavioral elements. Systematic reviews and original studies addressing this topic were identified in Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. The primary neural processes associated with maintaining cognition during aging are neuronal plasticity and compensatory scaffolding. Participation in intellectually stimulating activities, physical exercise, and a healthy diet; mitigation of chronic stress; reduction in the severity of depressive symptoms; and buffering against the adverse effects of air pollution are proposed as plausible pathways that may mediate the relationship between neural processes and the environment. In this context, environmental factors that affect cognition can be classified at three levels: (i) micro-level (family and home): social interaction with family members and indoor pollution; (ii) meso-level (community and services): social interaction, land-use diversity, transportation systems, environmental design, and urban green spaces; and (iii) macro-level (society in general and public policies): social representations of old age and aging (positive aging vs. ageism) and public policies aimed at improving pathways related to cognitive maintenance. Overall, the environment may influence cognition in older adults; however, the available studies show methodological and conceptual heterogeneity, inconsistent findings, and important gaps in knowledge. Full article

Maintenance is crucial for the durability of the existing building stock and should be perceived as an opportunity to improve the built environment. The implementation of thermal retrofitting measures to the building’s envelope enhances global energy performance, which is economically and environmentally beneficial. Building-related energy consumption during the operation phase is key to tackling carbon neutrality and climate change. Introducing thermal retrofitting within the context of maintenance planning can be cost-optimizing, as it reveals the technical–economic synergy between building pathology and energy efficiency. Maintenance activities and energy demand throughout the building’s service life influence life-cycle costs (LCCs). Decision-making based on LCC awareness is an advantage for owners. This study discusses the impact of implementing an optimal retrofitting solution (ORS), according to different maintenance strategies, on the LCC of an existing single-family home. The ORS comprises the following measures: adding an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) to external walls, extruded polystyrene (XPS) panels to the roof, and replacing the existing windows with others with improved thermal performance. The three maintenance strategies involve different complexity levels, concerning the type, number and timing of activities. Moving beyond isolated assessments, this study develops an integrated framework that bridges based on two existing background methodologies, involving optimal thermal retrofitting and condition-based maintenance planning, which, combined with new research, enable the assessment of maintenance, energy and global LCC for a time horizon of 100 years. The evaluation of energy-related LCC is based on simulations. The results indicate that these costs represent the majority of the global LCC. The ORS has a considerable positive impact on energy and global LCC. Adopting a maintenance strategy characterized by fewer planned activities and an earlier schedule of replacement interventions, which determines the implementation of the retrofitting measures, is better in terms of LCC savings. Full article

Base running performance in baseball depends on the ability to efficiently transition between linear and curvilinear sprinting; however, current assessment approaches provide limited insight into how speed is developed, maintained, or lost across these phases. This perspective presents a methodological framework for using GPS technology to enhance the analysis and interpretation of base running performance through segment-specific velocity and time diagnostics. GPS data were collected during 54.7 m linear sprints and home-to-second-base curvilinear sprints in three high-school baseball players with differing performance profiles. Sprint paths were divided into standardized linear (L1–L4) and curvilinear (C1–C4) segments, allowing examination of speed changes between successive phases to identify acceleration, maintenance, and deceleration patterns. Comparative case analyses illustrate how athletes differ in their ability to negotiate the curve around first base, reaccelerate toward second base, and maintain speed under increasing curvilinear demands. In addition, a base running efficiency ratio (BREr) is introduced to quantify how effectively linear sprint capacity is preserved during curvilinear base running, both globally and across early and late phases of the sprint. The three players’ data illustrated that GPS-derived velocity–time profiles may provide useful insights into individual running strategies, path selection, and segment-specific performance limitations that are not captured by traditional timing methods. Rather than establishing normative benchmarks, this paper emphasizes the applied value of GPS technology as a diagnostic tool to potentially inform individualized assessment and monitoring in applied settings related to linear and curvilinear sprint performance in baseball. Full article

This study investigates Estonian home language (HL) teachers’ perceptions of caregivers’ language beliefs and the factors contributing to low participation in HL classes among Estonian-speaking students in Finland. Data were collected through semi-structured thematic interviews with nine qualified HL teachers, whose extensive experience provided insights into a broad and diverse population of diaspora families, including those with limited motivation for HL learning. Content analysis, guided by Spolsky’s family language policy FLP model and Epstein’s framework of family–school–community involvement, revealed that caregivers typically value HL as a symbolic link to family and cultural heritage but often assume that oral communication at home is sufficient for children’s linguistic development. Teachers reported that caregivers generally support multilingualism yet underestimate the need for structured HL instruction. Low attendance of HL classes was attributed to a combination of family-, child-, and school-related factors: permissive parenting, limited language awareness, identity issues, scheduling conflicts, long school days, fatigue, and constraints within school timetables and institutional structures. A marked discrepancy was identified between teachers’ perceptions of attendance and official statistics, indicating that teachers predominantly interact with families that are already motivated and tend to overestimate the participation activity. The findings highlight the complexity of FLP in diaspora contexts and the importance of strengthening school–family communication and institutional support for HL education. Implications for policy, teacher education, and future research on low-motivation families are discussed. Full article

Background: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the dietary landscapes of young adults have been profoundly reshaped. As social restrictions ease, the resurgence of dining out presents new behavioral shifts regarding health and safety. Objective: This study investigates the post-pandemic experiences of young adults in Hong Kong, focusing on the burgeoning phenomenon of eating out of home and its complex influence on eating habits and food hygiene consciousness. Methods: This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological approach to explore participants’ lived experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 young adults in Hong Kong to gather narratives regarding their dining practices. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns associated with their return to public dining spaces. Results: Three core themes emerged: (i) confined palates: the remaking of the Hong Kong meal in the shadow of a pandemic; (ii) shared screen: mediating hunger from the home-as-hub; and (iii) watchful guard: the moralization of the meal amidst viral uncertainty. Conclusions: These findings dissect the critical, evolving relationship between contemporary consumption patterns and health maintenance. While the small size limits statistical generalizability, the study suggests that post-pandemic dining involves a modified reality of sustained hypervigilance. These insights offer a basis for developing sensitive and targeted public health strategies that resonate with the altered dietary realities of young adults in a post-pandemic world. Full article

Although the concept of Active and Assisted Living (AAL) has been a prominent topic in academia and in industry for decades, the widespread adoption of related technologies remains well below expectations. The underlying causes are multifaceted. The installation and retrofitting of such systems typically require substantial financial investments, significant manual effort, and specialized expertise for setup and maintenance. Existing solutions lack flexibility and are difficult to tailor to the individual living situations and diverse needs of the primary target group, older adults. While state-of-the-art smart home platforms would, in principle, be capable of supporting a broad range of AAL functionalities and could be adapted to different usage contexts, much of the research in this domain has been conducted in artificial settings, such as laboratory environments or model houses, conditions that fail to fully capture the complexity and variability of real-world living environments of the elderly population. In this paper, we explore the potential, opportunities, and limitations of integrating low-cost hardware with open-source software components in residential environments representative of older adults’ everyday lives. Our work is based on a longitudinal case study conducted over several years in an actual household, focusing on delivering fundamental AAL functionality. By documenting the iterative development and real-world deployment of the system, this study offers practical insights into the feasibility and challenges of implementing on-site AAL support under realistic conditions. Full article