Search Results (1,693)

The symmetrical relationship between affective semantics and form bionics creates new possibilities for tea packaging. This study proposes a biologically inspired workflow for tea packaging design, effectively integrating natural forms, affective semantics, and sustainability assessment. First, ten natural forms suitable for bionic design were collected. The Affinity Diagram (AD) method was adopted based on evaluations from 20 consumers and tea merchants, yielding nine effective semantic and sustainability evaluation systems. Then, 10 domain experts scored the affective semantics, and the indicator weights were determined via the Precedence Chart (PC) method. The Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method was used to construct a relationship matrix between natural forms and affective semantics, identifying prioritized natural forms. Three biomimetic tea packaging designs were developed based on the three selected priority forms. Subsequently, the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method calculated the objective weights of sustainability indicators. These weights were combined with Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) for comprehensive ranking to determine the optimal packaging scheme. The results show that stylish design (P1) has the highest weight among affective semantics, while low resource consumption (Q1) ranks first in sustainability evaluation indicators. Bamboo joint packaging was selected as the optimal design solution in the comprehensive ranking. This design process provides a methodological framework for tea packaging design, integrates biological bionics with affective semantics, and demonstrates potential for cross-category applications. Full article

Common wheat (Triticum aestivum ssp. vulgare) is one of the three basic cereal crops worldwide that plays a key role in global food security. A key factor affecting the yield and traits of common wheat is an adequate nitrogen supply. Improving the efficiency of soil nitrogen use can be achieved through the application of appropriate mineral fertilizers and the proper selection of cultivars. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of residual nitrogen (N_res) after maize cultivation (the preceding crop) on the yield and chemical composition of winter and spring wheat grain. It was shown that both the variety selection and the type of nitrogen carrier had a significant impact on the characteristics related to wheat yield and grain quality. The most stable effect of the type of nitrogen, regardless of the type of corn variety, was recorded for ammonium nitrate with N-Lock. The average yield was approximately 6.1 t ha⁻¹. With the exception of the variant with N-Lock, the most progressive reaction to the type of fertilizer occurred in the stand with a three-line corn hybrid (TC, stay green). The advantage of this corn variety as a winter wheat forecrop results from the value of the site in a site without nitrogen. In the nitrogen control, the increase in yield compared to the single corn hybrid (SC) was 14%. However, in the U + N-Lock variant, it was 17%, and SG Stabilo as much as 32%. The increase in the weight of 1000 wheat grains in the stands after the SC and TC hybrid compared to stay green + roots power indicates a compensatory mechanism that became visible in the grain filling phase. Current challenges in agriculture caused by population growth and the need to ensure sufficient food production require greater awareness and knowledge regarding improved nitrogen management, including recognizing the role of residual nitrogen remaining in the soil after the preceding crop. A major advantage of slow-release fertilizers is that the nutrient (N) is released in response to the dynamic demand of the crop. This, on the one hand, increases grain yield and, on the other, does not negatively impact the agrosystem (eutrophication). Full article

Background/Objectives: This study explore attentional selection and allocation during alarm signal processing in complex environments. Methods: Adopting the dual-task paradigm combining Visual Alarm Task and Main Task with EEG recording, a total of 120 participants were recruited into two experiments with the different presentation order of two tasks. Results: Results showed that lateral targets in the Visual Alarm Task induced significant N2 posterior contralateral (N2pc, 200–250 ms) and sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN, 250–500/450 ms) in the parieto-occipital region. N2pc correlated with alarm detection speed and Search Score (the individual search ability), while SPCN correlated with the Subjective Workload Analysis Technique (SWAT) Score. When the Main Task preceded the Visual Alarm Task, the Main Task load modulated attentional selection and allocation—the load of the Main Task moderated the effect of subsequent alarm-elicited sustained negativity on the SWAT Score. Conclusions: These findings revealed the functional separation of attentional processes in the cognitive control of alarm signals in complex environments. The study provides new electrophysiological evidence for multi-task attentional allocation and implications for alarm design in high-risk systems. Full article

Background: Nearshoring has risen after shocks and policy shifts. We synthesize evidence in a compact loop linking triggers (trade frictions, supply-chain risk, new agreements) to location choices mediated by multidimensional proximity (geographic, institutional, organizational, social, cognitive, functional) to components (manufacturing footprint, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), employment) and outcomes (spillovers, productivity, innovation) conditioned by absorptive capacity and institutions. Methods: We conducted a literature review using major bibliographic databases. A staged screening pipeline (deduplication, pre-eligibility, and title–abstract screening) preceded full-text coding aligned with the review framework (triggers, proximity, components, outcomes, mediators). Studies were appraised with a five-criterion checklist, and themes were consolidated with basic bibliometric checks. Results: Evidence is North Atlantic and manufacturing-centric. Supply-chain disruptions dominate triggers; non-geographic proximity strongly moderates relocation. FDI anchors ecosystems, while employment effects are lagged and compositional. Strong capability and policy mixes yield broader spillovers; otherwise, benefits remain enclave-like. Sustainability and transformative outcomes are rarely assessed. Conclusions: The loop clarifies feedback from outcomes to future siting. Firms should build proximity beyond geography and pair early FDI with supplier and skills upgrading; policymakers should align instruments to governance, capability formation, and logistics. Research should expand Global South coverage and integrate environmental and inclusion metrics. Full article

The growing emphasis on sustainable manufacturing has motivated the integration of environmental and social factors into traditional assembly line balancing problems (ALBPs). This study introduces a Sustainable Mixed-Model Assembly Line Balancing Problem (S-MMALBP) that jointly considers task precedence, machine selection, worker allocation, carbon-emission control, and green-rating incentives. An exact optimization model is formulated to minimize total operating cost while satisfying sustainability and capacity constraints. To address the problem’s combinatorial complexity, an Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) metaheuristic is developed, incorporating customized destroy and repair operators, adaptive penalty updating, and a simulated-annealing-based acceptance criterion. An analytical lower bound is derived to evaluate the algorithm’s performance, and an enhanced constructive method, Precedence-Driven Task Grouping (PDTG), is proposed to generate high-quality initial solutions. Computational experiments on benchmark instances confirm that the ALNS achieves near-optimal solutions with deviations below 5% from the lower bound, while solving large instances within seconds. A real-world case study on aircraft assembly involving 166 tasks further validates the model’s applicability, achieving a cost deviation below 4% from the theoretical bound under realistic sustainability constraints. The results demonstrate that the proposed model provides an effective and scalable decision-support tool for designing environmentally and socially responsible production systems. The study is the first to incorporate sustainability and worker–machine decisions into a mixed-model ALB framework solved by a tailored ALNS and lower bound. Full article

Background: Chronic kidney disease and haemodialysis treatment are associated with physiological and functional alterations that compromise postural stability, favouring frailty and the risk of falls. These conditions directly affect the quality of life and autonomy of people undergoing haemodialysis, constituting an important challenge for rehabilitation nursing. In this sense, the aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between falls, frailty and quality of life in people with chronic kidney disease on a regular haemodialysis programme, identifying implications for rehabilitation nursing care. Methods: This was a quantitative, observational and cross-sectional study conducted with 62 participants from a haemodialysis unit in northern Portugal. The Tilburg Frailty Indicator and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Instrument (KDQOL-SF™ 1.3) were applied. Statistical analysis used parametric and non-parametric tests, considering a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of falls in the year preceding the data collection was 32.2%, and the prevalence of frailty was 40.3%. A significant association was found between frailty and falls (p = 0.038) and between sex and falls (p = 0.002). The dimensions Symptoms/problems and Effects of kidney disease on daily life showed lower scores among participants with falls (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Frailty and poorer illness perception were associated with the occurrence of falls and with lower quality of life. Comprehensive assessment and the implementation of rehabilitation programmes led by specialist nurses in rehabilitation nursing are essential to promote functionality, safety and autonomy in people undergoing haemodialysis. Full article

Evidence increasingly indicates that synaptic vesicle dysfunction emerges early in Parkinson’s disease (PD), preceding overt dopaminergic neuron loss rather than arising solely as a downstream consequence of neurodegeneration. α-Synuclein (αSyn), a presynaptic protein that regulates vesicle clustering, trafficking, and neurotransmitter release under physiological conditions, exhibits dose-, conformation-, and context-dependent actions that distinguish its normal regulatory roles from pathological effects observed in disease models. This narrative review synthesizes findings from a structured search of PubMed and Scopus, with emphasis on α-syn-knockout (αSynKO) and BAC transgenic (αSynBAC) mouse models, which do not recapitulate the full human PD trajectory but provide complementary insights into αSyn physiological function and dosage-sensitive vulnerability. Priority was given to studies integrating ultrastructural approaches—such as cryo-electron tomography, high-pressure freezing/freeze-substitution TEM, and super-resolution microscopy—with proteomic and lipidomic analyses. Across these methodologies, several convergent presynaptic alterations are consistently observed. In vivo and ex vivo studies associate αSyn perturbation with impaired vesicle acidification, consistent with altered expression or composition of vacuolar-type H⁺-ATPase subunits. Lipidomic analyses reveal age- and genotype-dependent remodeling of vesicle membrane lipids, particularly curvature- and charge-sensitive phospholipids, which may destabilize αSyn–membrane interactions. Complementary biochemical and cell-based studies support disruption of SNARE complex assembly and nanoscale release-site organization, while ultrastructural analyses demonstrate reduced vesicle docking, altered active zone geometry, and vesicle pool disorganization, collectively indicating compromised presynaptic efficiency. These findings support a synapse-centered framework in which presynaptic dysfunction represents an early and mechanistically relevant feature of PD. Rather than advocating αSyn elimination, emerging therapeutic concepts emphasize preservation of physiological vesicle function—through modulation of vesicle acidification, SNARE interactions, or membrane lipid homeostasis. Although such strategies remain exploratory, they identify the presynaptic terminal as a potential window for early intervention aimed at maintaining synaptic resilience and delaying functional decline in PD. Full article

Continuous particle exchange thermal machines require no time-dependent driving, can be realised in solid-state electronic devices, and can be miniaturised to nanometre scale. Quantum dots, providing a narrow energy filter and allowing to manipulate particle flow between the hot and cold reservoirs are at the heart of such devices. It has been theoretically shown that through mitigating passive heat flow, Carnot efficiency can be approached arbitrarily closely in a quantum dot heat engine, and experimentally, values of 0.7${\eta }_C$ have been reached. However, for practical applications, other parameters of a thermal machine, such as maximum power, efficiency at maximum power, and noise—stability of the power output or heat extraction—take precedence over maximising efficiency. We explore the effect of the internal microscopic dynamics of a quantum dot on these quantities and demonstrate that its performance as a thermal machine depends on few parameters—the overall conductance and three inherent asymmetries of the dynamics: entropy difference between the charge states, tunnel coupling asymmetry, and the degree of detailed balance breaking. These parameters act as a guide to engineering the quantum states of the quantum dot, allowing to optimise its performance beyond that of the simplest case of a two-fold spin-degenerate transmission level. Full article

The paper investigates the seismic vulnerability of single-story precast industrial buildings constructed in Romania during the 1970s, with particular reference to the damage observed following the 1977 Romanian earthquake. More than 800 structures were analytically assessed using a displacement-based evaluation procedure grounded in their original design specifications. Several displacement capacity models for flexure-controlled concrete columns were applied, and their suitability for the analyzed buildings is critically discussed. The study also includes a detailed case study that illustrates the practical application of the assessment methodology and highlights specific structural behaviors under seismic loading. The results demonstrate that the displacement-based assessment provides realistic predictions of seismic performance, consistent with observations from similar buildings constructed after the 1977 Vrancea earthquake. The conclusions indicate that the analyzed buildings generally exhibit favorable seismic behavior, with flexural hinging preceding shear failure and displacement-based methods offering more realistic and less conservative assessments than traditional force-based approaches. The scientific contribution of this work lies in using a comprehensive framework for evaluating the seismic response of existing precast industrial structures, offering insights into the effectiveness of different column capacity models, and establishing a foundation for future research on retrofitting strategies and the interaction of structural and non-structural components under seismic actions. Full article

This study introduces a new ensemble framework for demographic forecasting that systematically incorporates stylised crisis scenarios into rate and population projections. While scenario reasoning is common in qualitative foresight, its quantitative application in demography remains underdeveloped. Our method combines autoregressive lags, global predictors, and robust regression with a trend-anchoring mechanism, enabling stable projections from short official time series (15–20 years in length). Scenario shocks are operationalised through binary event flags for pandemics, refugee inflows, and financial crises, which influence fertility, mortality, and migration models before translating into cohort and population trajectories. Results demonstrate that shocks with strong historical precedence, such as Germany’s migration surges, are convincingly reproduced and leave enduring effects on projected populations. Conversely, weaker or non-recurrent shocks, typical in Norway and Portugal, produce muted scenario effects, with baseline momentum dominating long-term outcomes. At the national level, total population aggregates mitigate temporary shocks, while cohort-level projections reveal more pronounced divergences. Limitations include the short length of the training series, the reduction of signals when shocks do not surpass historical peaks, and the loss of granularity due to age grouping. Nevertheless, the framework shows how robust statistical ensembles can extend demographic forecasting beyond simple trend extrapolation, providing a formal and transparent quantitative tool for stress-testing population futures under both crisis and stability. Full article

Background/Objectives: Ingrown toenails are a common podiatric condition that can significantly impair the quality of life of affected patients. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of plastic surgery of the nail folds, preceded by conservative nail plate reconstruction, on the quality of life of patients with ingrown toenails. Methods: The DLQI was assessed before (n = 108) and after treatment (n = 107). The procedure combined plastic surgery of the nail folds with conservative nail plate reconstruction. Results: A significant improvement was observed in DLQI scores (p < 0.0001) between baseline (DLQI1) and at least 6 months post-procedure (DLQI2). Quality of life improved in all assessed domains, with an average score reduction of 10.09 points. Thirteen patients did not achieve the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Significant differences in DLQI2 outcomes were also observed by age (p = 0.009) and gender (p = 0.025). Conclusions: Plastic surgery of the nail folds combined with conservative nail plate reconstruction proved effective in improving quality of life in patients with ingrown toenails. Full article

Background/Objectives: Seasonal influenza is a global public health issue, and influenza vaccination is the most effective preventive measure. Nursing students are at a higher risk of contracting it due to clinical exposure. However, vaccination uptake among nursing students remains low. This study examines seasonal influenza vaccination uptake rates and the predictors of nursing students’ willingness to receive this vaccine. Methods: A cross-sectional online study was conducted using a well-validated questionnaire in order to collect data from a convenience sample of nursing students in Hong Kong from early November to early December 2024. Results: Out of the 461 valid responses received, 67.5% were from females, with a mean age of 20.53 (SD = 2.16) years. Vaccination history was diverse: 34.3% reported that they underwent influenza vaccination in the most recent season, 49.7% reported that they were vaccinated one to two times over the preceding five years, and only 5% reported that they undergo vaccination annually. A logistic regression model showed that the respondents who had been vaccinated against influenza in the most recent years (OR = 2.881, 95% CI: 1.773–4.680) had been vaccinated against influenza 1–2 times (OR = 3.239, 95% CI: 1.750–5.993), had been vaccinated 3–4 times (OR = 3.984, 95% CI: 1.773–8.957), had been vaccinated every year (OR = 10.353, 95% CI: 3.025–35.436) in the past five years, and had a higher score of perceived susceptibility (OR = 2.244, 95% CI: 1.302–3.867) were more likely to intend to be vaccinated with an influenza vaccine in the coming year. Conclusions: Annual seasonal influenza vaccination rates among nursing students remain low, though they have improved. We recommend that the Hong Kong government, healthcare organizations, and universities develop effective strategies for promoting annual seasonal influenza vaccination to safeguard both patients’ health and the health of future nursing professionals. Full article

Our interaction with the world depends on our ability to process temporal information, which is a key component of human cognition that directly impacts decision-making, planning, and prediction of events. Visual information plays a crucial role in shaping our subjective perception of time, and even brief interruptions, such as those caused by eye blinks, can disrupt the continuity of our perception and alter how we estimate durations. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between spontaneous eye blinks and time perception using a temporal bisection task. In particular, we focus on how blinks preceding stimulus presentation impact the perceived duration of that stimulus. The results of fitting a generalized linear mixed-effects model revealed that blinking can indeed influence the duration estimation. Specifically, the presence of a single blink before the stimulus presentation had a significant effect on subjective time perception; participants were more likely to categorize a duration as shorter compared to when they did not blink. In contrast, two or more blinks before stimulus presentation did not have a significant effect compared to not blinking. This study further elucidates the complex interaction between the momentary suppression of visual input and the perception of time. Full article

Lithium-ion batteries are extensively employed in electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems (ESSs) owing to their high energy density, long cyclability, and cost-effectiveness. However, the use of flammable electrolytes makes them inherently susceptible to thermal runaway (TR), which can lead to ignition, explosion, and large-scale fires. Accordingly, early detection of defect internal conditions that precede thermal events is essential for ensuring battery safety. This study proposes a time-resolved partial discharge (TRPD)-based diagnostic method for identifying early electrical precursors of fire hazards in lithium-ion batteries. Both destructive (ex situ) and non-destructive (in situ) experiments were performed to collect defect signal data under physical deformation and accelerated degradation conditions. Through fast fourier transform (FFT) analysis of the acquired signals, specific frequency-domain characteristics associated with micro internal short circuits (MISC) were identified, particularly within the 3.9 MHz, 11.9 MHz, and 19 MHz bands. Defect signals were clearly distinguishable from background common-mode voltage (CMV) noise, confirming the diagnostic sensitivity of the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the TRPD-based technique enables early recognition of latent insulation degradation and internal short-circuit phenomena before thermal runaway occurs. This work bridges the gap between conventional insulation monitoring and battery safety diagnostics, providing a scalable framework for integrating high-frequency signal analysis into EV and ESS battery management systems for fire prevention. Full article

This study moves beyond the static view prevalent in hospitality loyalty research by developing and longitudinally testing a process-oriented model of loyalty formation. Recognizing that loyalty is a dynamic outcome, we employ a three-wave panel design with a three-month lag, surveying 562 customers of organic restaurants within green-certified hotels. Data are analyzed using a Cross-Lagged Panel Model (CLPM) to meticulously map the temporal interplay among key antecedents, controlling for autoregressive effects and covariates. The findings provide robust evidence for a specific cognitive-to-affective sequence: perceptions of food quality at one time point shape subsequent judgments of perceived value, which in turn drive customer satisfaction, ultimately fostering loyalty in a succeeding period. Crucially, the CLPM also reveals that food quality and price fairness exert significant, direct time-lagged effects on loyalty, suggesting the presence of dual psychological pathways. By establishing temporal precedence and mapping sequential mediation, this study offers a more causally robust and managerially actionable understanding of how customer loyalty evolves. Full article