Search Results (870)

The phrase shiri bing chu 十日並出 (ten suns rose in the sky at once) from the Qiwu lun 齊物論 can also be interpreted as shiri dai chu 十日代出 (ten suns alternately appearing). Here, “ten suns rose in the sky at once” is not merely a spatial concept but also a temporal one. Thus, the concept of De 德 (virtue), connected to the idea of “ten suns shining together,” is a transcendent force with its own inner sense of time. It acts as the foundation for all things to exist and grow continuously. Under the endless cycle of day and night and the nourishing power of tiande 天德 (heavenly virtue), everything flourishes according to its true nature. Here, De combines two aspects: mingde 明德 (luminous virtue) and xuande 玄德 (inconspicuous virtue). “luminous virtue” focuses on order and building, highlighting the uniqueness within human growth. “inconspicuous virtue” emphasizes harmony and equalizing with all things, revealing our shared connection with the world. These two concepts are not opposites. The highest goal of luminous virtue lies in mysterious virtue, which itself contains the roots of luminous virtue. Both work together to reflect the natural flow of the Dao 道 (the Way), thus demonstrating that Zhuangzi’s philosophy is not merely about criticism or deconstruction—it has a deeply constructive side. Virtue transcends both individuality and universality. Human nature holds both virtues. By balancing the order of growth and equalizing with all things, we can harmonize our uniqueness with our shared bonds, revealing our true value in both action and spirit. Full article

Indoor navigation poses persistent challenges due to the limitations of traditional positioning systems within buildings. In this study, we propose a novel approach to address this issue—not by continuously tracking the user’s location, but by estimating their position based on how closely their observed behavior matches the expected progression along a predefined route. This concept, while not universally applicable, is well-suited for specific indoor navigation scenarios, such as guiding couriers or delivery personnel through complex residential buildings. We explore this idea in detail in our paper. To implement this behavior-based localization, we introduce an LSTM-based method for classifying user behavior patterns, including standing, walking, and using stairs or elevators, by analyzing velocity sequences derived from smartphone sensors’ data. The developed model achieved 75% accuracy for individual activity type classification within one-second time windows, and 98.6% for full-sequence classification through majority voting. These results confirm the viability of real-time activity recognition as the foundation for a navigation system that aligns live user behavior with pre-recorded patterns, offering a cost-effective alternative to infrastructure-heavy indoor positioning systems. Full article

With the continuous development of the Internet, people have put forward higher requirements for the stability and availability of the network. Although we constantly strive to take measures to avoid network failures, it is undeniable that network failures are unavoidable. Therefore, in this situation, enhancing the stability and reliability of the network to cope with possible network failures has become particularly crucial. Therefore, researching and developing high fault protection rate intra-domain routing protection schemes has become an important topic and is the subject of this study. This study aims to enhance the resilience and service continuity of networks in the event of failures by proposing innovative routing protection strategies. The existing methods, such as Loop Free Alternative (LFA) and Equal Cost Multiple Paths (ECMP), have some shortcomings in terms of fast fault detection, fault response, and fault recovery processes, such as long fault recovery time, limitations of routing protection strategies, and requirements for network topology. In response to these issues, this article proposes a new routing protection scheme, which is an intra-domain routing protection scheme based on the minimum cross-degree backup path. The core idea of this plan is to find the backup path with the minimum degree of intersection with the optimal path, in order to avoid potential fault areas and minimize the impact of faults on other parts of the network. Through comparative analysis and performance evaluation, this scheme can provide a higher fault protection rate and more reliable routing protection in the network. Especially in complex networks, this scheme has more performance and protection advantages than traditional routing protection methods. The proposed scheme in this paper exhibits a high rate of fault protection across multiple topologies, demonstrating a fault protection rate of 1 in the context of real topology. It performs commendably in terms of path stretch, evidenced by a figure of 1.06 in the case of real topology Ans, suggesting robust path length control capabilities. The mean intersection value is 0 in the majority of the topologies, implying virtually no common edge between the backup and optimal paths. This effectively mitigates the risk of single-point failure. Full article

Morphological problems for distinguishing between glacier ice, glacier ice with a debris cover (debris-covered glaciers), and rock glaciers are outlined with respect to recognising and mapping these features. Decimal latitude–longitude [dLL] values are used for geolocation. One model for rock glacier formation and flow discusses the idea that they consist of ‘mountain permafrost’. However, signs of permafrost-derived ice, such as flow features, have not been identified in these landsystems; talus slopes in the neighbourhoods of glaciers and rock glaciers. An alternative view, whereby rock glaciers are derived from glacier ice rather than permafrost, is demonstrated with examples from various locations in the mountain domain, 𝔻𝕞. A Google Earth and field examination of many rock glaciers shows glacier ice exposed below a rock debris mantle. Ice exposure sites provide ground truth for observations and interpretations stating that rock glaciers are indeed formed from glacier ice. Exposure sites include bare ice at the headwalls of cirques and above debris-covered glaciers; additionally, ice cliffs on the sides of meltwater pools are visible at various locations along the lengths of rock glaciers. Inspection using Google Earth shows that these pools can be traced downslope and their sizes can be monitored between images. Meltwater pools occur in rock glaciers that have been previously identified in inventories as being indictive of permafrost in the mountain domain. Glaciers with a thick rock debris cover exhibit ‘hidden ice’ and are shown to be geomorphological units mapped as rock glaciers. Full article

This paper explores the potential of the Ozobot EVO mobile robot as an educational tool for teaching Python programming. While the robot is currently designed for younger students through color and block programming, it is not yet widely utilized for teaching text-based coding. The Ozobot’s compatibility with Python presents a valuable opportunity for students to visualize their programming concepts through the robot’s actions, offering a more engaging alternative to console-based learning. The increasing use of the Raspberry Pi, a single-board computer programmed in Python, has necessitated the inclusion of Python in the curriculum. However, students often find learning Python challenging and demotivating. To enhance STEM education and student motivation, this paper proposes sample Python code for the Ozobot EVO, aiming to encourage educators to integrate the robot into their teaching. I suggest some Python code examples for the Ozobot EVO. This is to help educators see how they can use the robot in their lessons. Specifically, code examples for controlling motion, sound, light, and combinations of these functionalities are presented. When students see the robot react immediately to their code, they can understand programming ideas much better than just seeing text in the Python console. The Ozobot EVO mobile robot offers a solid foundation for learning Python programming. Full article

Green starches, sourced from sustainable and unconventional plant and protist sources, are gaining prominence in functional ingredient research due to their combined technological and bioactive properties. Within the context of circular economy and green chemistry, this review addresses the extraction processes of native, modified, and phytochemically enriched starches. It highlights diverse applications, focusing on the advantages of phytochemical enrichment over other modification methods, given the acquired properties from bioactive compound incorporation. Initially, the review approaches the circular economy and green chemistry’s contributions. Various starch modification processes are presented, emphasizing chemical alterations and their impacts on food safety and the environment. Recent studies employing this principle are detailed, focusing on food applications, extending to pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and culminating in bioelectronics. Finally, new research ideas are proposed, aiming to inspire further studies in the field. This review underscores a significant and growing interest in sustainable starch applications, particularly biocompound-enriched starches, across diverse sectors like pharmaceuticals, agriculture, textiles, and packaging. This trend is driven by the need for safer, eco-friendlier alternatives, with emerging fields such as bioelectronics and 3D/4D printing also recognizing starch’s versatile potential. Full article

Suppliers nowadays can be directly approached in business-to-business (B2B) E-commerce websites. This makes the product and service information of certain suppliers accessible in online reviews. Therefore, online reviews have become important for B2B supplier evaluation and selection. Recently, the sustainability of food packaging has attracted increasing attention from companies and consumers. This study developed a novel multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method called Percentage Assessment with Synergistic Comparisons And Aggregated Ranks (PASCAAR) to support the selection of sustainable food package suppliers based on online review information in B2B E-commerce websites. Such a method used three different percentage comparisons between alternatives and the minimal options, and then aggregates the comparisons with their ranks. This study confirmed the effectiveness of PASCAAR by applying it to a case study to select the supplier of sustainable food packages (i.e., biodegradable food containers) from six candidates in the B2B E-commerce website by considering multi-dimensional online review information and their own product properties. Using PASCAAR, this study obtained the outcome that the third candidate is the most suitable one, as quantitative results indicate this supplier has the highest PASCAAR score. Based on the results, this study further conducted thorough sensitivity tests to validate the results. It can be found that, compared with the classical MCDM methods in measuring the performance of alternatives and aggregating evaluation scores, the PASCAAR method can have more robust and informative results. This study also developed a PASCAAR Solver to enable easy implementation of this method. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing new ranking and aggregation ideas in MCDM and can offer practitioners a more informative and highly actionable method for supplier selection and decision support system development by utilizing online review information. Full article

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have been considered as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for large-scale energy storage. However, the commercial graphite anode is not suitable for SIBs due to its low Na⁺ ion storage capability. Currently, hard carbon has been considered a promising anode material for SIBs. Herein, the surface porousized hard carbon anode materials have been prepared by using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) with a hydrothermal method (HC-HO) and utilized as the anode material for SIBs. The porous structure of HC-HO provides more storage space for Na⁺ ions and enhances the intercalation/deintercalation reversibility and diffusion rate of Na⁺ ions. Moreover, HC-HO can effectively alleviate the particle volume expansion and generate a thin and stable SEI film during charge/discharge processes. Thus, the HC-HO exhibits a high reversible capacity (314.4 mAh g⁻¹ with an ICE of 92.3% at 0.05 C), excellent rate performance (241.4 mAh g⁻¹ at 3 C), and outstanding cycling stability (a capacity retention of 78.6% after 500 cycles at 1 C). The preparation of porous hard carbon provides new ideas for the future development direction of hard carbon. Full article

This study investigates the impact of web-based augmented reality (Web AR) on destination visit intention through the lens of a stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, a technology acceptance model (TAM) and flow theory into an integrated theoretical framework. This study aims to address gaps in the literature by providing insights about the relevance of augmented reality to tourism marketing effectiveness. Structural equation modeling was used to test this conceptual framework using AMOS23 on quantitative data collected from questionnaires distributed locally and internationally and applied to 384 participants after going through a Web AR destination experience. The findings confirmed that Web AR stimuli (i.e., interactivity and vividness) positively impact tourists’ destination visit intention through the tourist organism in terms of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived certainty, perceived enjoyment and perceived immersion. Therefore, the promotion of destinations through augmented reality technology contributes to the development of sustainable tourism. The findings of this study will shed light on an alternative idea for destination marketing to inspire destination management organizations (DMOs) wishing to develop a competitive edge and win within the tourism industry. The results thus contribute to the Web AR and the tourism marketing literature by providing theoretical guidance through a framework for the AR tourism experience, as well as a reference for DMOs. Full article

The time-fractional generalized Burger–Fisher equation (TF-GBFE) is utilized in many physical applications and applied sciences, including nonlinear phenomena in plasma physics, gas dynamics, ocean engineering, fluid mechanics, and the simulation of financial mathematics. This mathematical expression explains the idea of dissipation and shows how advection and reaction systems can work together. We compare the homotopy perturbation transform method and the new iterative method in the current study. The suggested approaches are evaluated on nonlinear TF-GBFE. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) figures are displayed to show the dynamics and physical properties of some of the derived solutions. A comparison was made between the approximate and accurate solutions of the TF-GBFE. Simple tables are also given to compare the integer-order and fractional-order findings. It has been verified that the solution generated by the techniques given converges to the precise solution at an appropriate rate. In terms of absolute errors, the results obtained have been compared with those of alternative methods, including the Haar wavelet, OHAM, and q-HATM. The fundamental benefit of the offered approaches is the minimal amount of calculations required. In this research, we focus on managing the recurrence relation that yields the series solutions after a limited number of repetitions. The comparison table shows how well the methods work for different fractional orders, with results getting closer to precision as the fractional-order numbers get closer to integer values. The accuracy of the suggested techniques is greatly increased by obtaining numerical results in the form of a fast-convergent series. Maple is used to derive the approximate series solution’s behavior, which is graphically displayed for a number of fractional orders. The computational stability and versatility of the suggested approaches for examining a variety of phenomena in a broad range of physical science and engineering fields are highlighted in this work. Full article

Social justice has become the panacea for all types of concerns and issues—providing a sense that all concerns are worthwhile, comprehensive, and matter for today’s world. Thus, developing alternative concepts, ideas, and imaginaries can potentially provide solid grounds for scholars to advance beyond conventional understandings about social justice. Therefore, this manuscript aims to experiment with ethics of care as a conceptual device to disrupt Trumpism, as well as propose alternative worlds where sport, youth/athlete development, and social justice can connect otherwise. Specifically, efforts will be deployed to advance notions concerning sport–social justice in ways beyond our contemporary understandings. The work of feminist theorist and scholar Maria Puig de la Bellacasa (and many other human, non-human and more-than-human entities) is used to situate care as a relational doing. Moving forward, alternative worlds with alternative caring responsibilities matter if youth sport is to continuously thrive for justice. The conventional game of sport–social justice inquiry may have consequences and implications for caring that may be deemed unsustainable and continued sources of oppression. Therefore, caring becomes much more than a fact, a concern, or a concept. It becomes an ontological compromise, an ideal, and an ontological project for scholarly work, which implies a willingness to navigate towards the unknown and unprecedented—potentially our main caring responsibility as scholars. Full article

Cultures of primary human nasal epithelial cells (hNECs) differentiated at the air–liquid interface (ALI) represent a sophisticated and widely used model of the human upper respiratory epithelium. Despite the availability of various cell culture insert types and the well-established understanding that different culture media influence the cell culture characteristics, the possible impact of the insert brand remains rather underexplored. We cultured hNECs from nineteen healthy adult donors on three distinct brands of commercially available inserts—Corning^® Transwell^®, CELLTREAT^®, and ThinCert^®—and compared the ciliary activity and cellular composition of the cultures using high-speed video microscopy and flow cytometry, respectively. Additionally, we employed an alternative method of hNEC culture setup—the inverted condition—wherein the hNECs were seeded on the basal side of the insert with the idea to avoid mucus accumulation. Our results show that ciliary activity and cell type composition did not differ between insert types for both culture conditions. However, we found a higher ciliary beat frequency and a lower active (ciliated) area in the inverted setup compared to the conventional setup across all three insert brands. These findings indicate that all three mentioned insert types yield comparable cell cultures. Full article

Brazil is considered one of the world’s most important sisal fiber producers (derived from Agave sisalana), with areas concentrated in the Bahia state. There has been a movement in agriculture toward a circular economic system (take-produce-consume-recycle). Based on this idea, the focus of this study was: (i) to estimate the theoretical available amount of sisal residues based on fiber and area productions; (ii) to monitor the use of sisal residues for improving sisal plant growth; and (iii) to monitor the residue stocks on surface soil with the application of sisal residues. Areas of sisal were visited periodically, monitoring the application of sisal residue on the soil surface. The results showed that there is an expressive production of sisal residues, mainly of green liquid, sisal pulp, and sisal ball. The application of sisal pulp on the soil surface, close to sisal plants, is an optimal alternative to improve sisal leaf development. The application of sisal residues on soil increased 50% of residue stocks with sizes lower than 10 cm. Based on the results, we concluded that the sisal residues have a great potential for improving sisal plant growth and soil residue stocks. More studies are required to improve circular agriculture in the sisal sector. Full article

This paper uses an orthogonal resistor network model instead of traditional finite-difference or finite-element methods to explore an alternative approach to forward modeling in Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT). A resistor network is advantageous for modeling high-contrast resistivity environments, particularly in crystalline rock scenarios with thin conductive fractures. The key idea is to represent the resistivity problem as a network of resistors, where each resistor corresponds to a unit cell edge with assigned resistance values. The study compares this approach with existing numerical methods and analytical solutions for 2D conductive dipping faults, showing that the resistor network method produces comparable results for shallow depths while offering better resolution for thin conductive fractures. This study demonstrates that a resistor network can serve as an auxiliary tool for qualitatively assessing the effects of thin conductive fractures in crystalline rock environments or masonry. Full article

Due to global warming, ozone depletion and their ramifications on the Arctic and Antarctic snowscapes, there has been an incentivized drive towards net zero-carbon emission policies by several countries. These policies extend to several sectors, including several manufacturing and processing industries and transportation, which are a few of their notable stakeholders. In the transportation sector, this journey towards net zero-carbon emissions is aided by the adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) due to their zero-carbon emissions during operation. However, they might have zero running emissions, but they do have emissions when charging through conventional sources. This research paper looks at the carbon emissions produced by both electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles during their operational stages and compares them based on a 200,000 km driving range, battery manufacturing emissions and different power production alternatives to draw up some very important recommendations. The analysis presented in this paper helps in drawing conclusions and proposes ideas which, when included in transport policies, will help curb global warming and eventually lead to the sustainable development of the transport sector. The analysis in this study shows that the emissions needed to produce a single battery unit have increased by approximately 258.7% with the change in battery production locations. Furthermore, charging EVs with a fossil-fuel-dominated grid has shown an increase in emissions of 17.98% compared to the least emissive ICE car considered in the study. Finally, policy update recommendations which are essential for the sustainable development of the transport sector are discussed. Full article