Search Results (3,032)

In this paper, we establish a fundamental lemma based on symmetric quantum monotonicity within the framework of symmetric quantum calculus. Using this lemma, we derive the symmetric quantum Favard inequality and its Berwald-type extensions, together with generalizations to products of multiple functions and broader concavity classes. Numerical examples and comparative analyses demonstrate that the upper bounds obtained in the symmetric quantum framework are closer to the true integral values than those from the asymmetric quantum setting. This work establishes, for the first time, a complete theory of Favard–Berwald-type inequalities in symmetric quantum calculus, filling a gap in the literature and providing new analytical tools for quantum optimization and discrete integral estimation. Full article

The sideslip angle is crucial for vehicle stability, especially for single-track vehicles. As it is difficult to measure this quantity directly, the use of virtual sensors (observers) is common practice in this field.Neural network-based virtual sensors are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to handle nonlinear conditions and noise. This paper presents a rigorous methodological approach to selecting measured quantities and determining the appropriate sampling frequency for stable sideslip reconstruction using a nonlinear autoregressive neural network with exogenous inputs (NARX-NN) model. A literature review suggests that most studies on sideslip angle estimation focus solely on achieving superior accuracy, with little extensive discussion of the selected quantities or sampling conditions required for effective estimation. This paper uses an information theory approach combined with a qualitative approach to select suitable model input quantities, the optimal number of look-ahead steps (‘embedding’), and the optimal sampling frequency to maximise the ratio between the latent information provided to the model for state reconstruction and the reduced computational burden on the electronic control unit (ECU). The results show that the sampling and computing frequency can be reduced by up to 20 times compared to the common baseline. This enables the use of less powerful hardware for the same model, resulting in better resource utilisation. Full article

Transhumanism subsumes system developments extending human capabilities, whereas posthumanism includes developments beyond actors and processes in human life. It affects agency and identity development, bringing into play ‘more-than-human-centered design’ of technology-based artefacts. Transhumanism uses science and technology to expand human capabilities, in particular intellect and health. Posthumanism addresses the co-existence of human and artificial actors while decentering human actors. It examines how technology has already and is still influencing agency and identity without necessarily requiring physical extensions. Both approaches affect (future) system development. Socio-technical system design can contribute to the respective discourse. Key issues relevant for transhumanist concerns are the dynamics of socio-technical system design, the functional, communication, and interaction capabilities of networked system elements (including human support), and learning infrastructures. Considering this structure and these capabilities lays the ground for approaching posthuman system design issues in terms of representing networked entities and their behavior albeit their different nature of actors. Implementation of a respective framework requires enabling infrastructures for the (dynamic) reconfiguration of heterogeneous networked components. The entry finally discusses how such a design framework could inform future research at the intersection of design theory, human–technology integration, and critical futures studies. Full article

Although streateries, defined here as outdoor commercial extensions of dining, café, or retail activities into street-edge pedestrian spaces, can enliven urban streets, their commercial use of public pedestrian space may raise concerns about openness, shareability, and inclusion. This study examines how different streatery interface designs affect pedestrians’ perceived spatial publicness and emotional restoration, and whether perceived spatial publicness mediates this relationship. Drawing on publicness studies and Restorative Environment Theory, a scenario-based between-subjects experiment was conducted using four standardized visual stimuli: boundaryless open, fully enclosed, flexible permeable, and hybrid covered interfaces. Based on 420 valid questionnaires, Welch’s ANOVA, Games–Howell post hoc tests, independent-sample t-tests, and PROCESS mediation analysis were performed. The results show that prior streatery consumption experience significantly increased perceived spatial publicness but did not significantly affect emotional restoration. Interface type had significant effects on both outcomes, following a non-monotonic pattern: hybrid covered and flexible permeable interfaces performed best, the fully enclosed interface performed worst, and the boundaryless open interface was not necessarily optimal. Perceived spatial publicness partially mediated the relationship between interface type and emotional restoration, indicating one psychological pathway through which interface design shapes restorative experience. These findings suggest a possible perceptual-level emotional compensation pathway, in which perceived spatial publicness serves as one tested route linking streatery interface design with emotional restoration in southern Chinese commercial street contexts. The study offers context-specific evidence for public-experience-oriented streatery design in southern Chinese commercial streets. Full article

Orthotropic laminates are highly desirable in composite structures because they eliminate bending–twisting coupling, simplify structural behavior, improve analytical predictability, and facilitate structural design, optimization, and certification. However, achieving fully orthotropic behavior in laminated composites remains challenging because conventional laminate architectures generally retain stiffness couplings arising from anisotropic ply orientations and stacking-sequence effects. This work introduces the Tailored Antisymmetric Composite (TAC) concept, a laminate architecture that provides the closest practical approximation to full orthotropy while preserving broad stiffness-tailoring capability and manufacturability. TAC laminates are constructed from tailored antisymmetric sublaminates that enforce D₁₆ = D₂₆ = 0 while maintaining extremely small extension–bending coupling terms B₁₆ and B₂₆. Representative TAC and symmetric Quad laminates were compared analytically, statistically, and experimentally. Monte Carlo simulations comprising 100,000 realizations with realistic ±0.1° AFP/ATL fiber-orientation deviations showed that the distributions of the extension–bending coupling terms \(B_{16}^*\) and \(B_{26}^*\) remained nearly indistinguishable for both laminate architectures, with probability-density overlap coefficients between 0.87 and 0.98. In contrast, the bending–twisting coupling terms \(D_{16}^*\) and \(D_{26}^*\) were 140–600 times lower in TAC laminates than in the corresponding Quad laminates, and their statistical distributions exhibited complete separation. Experimental measurements of post-cure warpage confirmed that TAC laminates achieved dimensional stability comparable to symmetric Quad laminates while exhibiting lower variability. These results demonstrate that TAC laminates combine exact elimination of bending–twisting coupling with negligible extension–bending coupling, statistical robustness to realistic manufacturing variability, and excellent dimensional stability, establishing TAC as a practical and systematic route toward full orthotropy in laminated composite structures. Full article

Aiming at the problem that strip surcharge in coastal soft soil foundations causes lateral squeezing and endangers the safety of adjacent existing bridge pile foundations, the traditional Boussinesq elastic theory cannot reflect the true elastoplastic characteristics of the soil and tends to underestimate the actual horizontal additional stress. This paper establishes a two-dimensional plane strain finite element model and, based on the calibration of pure elastic theoretical solutions, carries out extensive comparative analyses under elastoplastic foundation conditions. Through Pearson correlation and random forest sensitivity analyses, it is clarified that the internal friction angle, load ratio, and normalized distance ratio are the core control variables affecting the redistribution of horizontal additional stress, thereby demonstrating the limitations of the influence of elastic modulus and cohesion. The study reveals the nonlinear amplification mechanism of horizontal stress transfer caused by the penetration of the deep plastic zone within the foundation, as well as the physical evolution law of the stress correction factor, which initially exhibits a Gaussian peak enhancement and subsequently decays exponentially with spatial distance. Based on these mechanisms, a combined prediction formula for the horizontal additional stress correction factor is proposed, achieving an R² = 0.903, and a safety evaluation chart for the correction factor is constructed to quantify high-risk areas. The results indicate that when the normalized distance ratio is greater than or equal to 4, the elastoplastic squeezing effect essentially dissipates. The proposed modification method effectively delineates the applicable boundary of the elastic solution and provides a theoretical basis for the bearing capacity calculation and safety control of passively loaded pile foundations in soft soil regions. Full article

This study synthesises evidence on whether, why, and under what conditions digital technologies improve resource efficiency across multi-tier global value chains (GVCs) and examines the theoretical adequacy of dominant explanatory lenses. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, we searched Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest, retaining 150 articles for qualitative synthesis and 137 for bibliometric science-mapping; themes were developed via multi-cycle coding and triangulated with co-citation and keyword co-occurrence networks. Reported efficiency gains are strongest when firms deploy integrated digital stacks combining IoT sensing, AI analytics, blockchain traceability, and digital twins that jointly enable visibility, verification, and simulation-based optimisation, a pattern based predominantly on observational and cross-sectional evidence. Outcomes are contingent on cross-firm capability complementarities, data-governance arrangements, regulatory congruence, and cyber-risk maturity. A key structural finding is the digital-regionalisation paradox: stringent data-compliance demands can re-anchor sourcing within regulatory blocs, concentrating rather than extending GVC geography. Building on these findings, we propose three theoretical extensions, namely ecosystemic capability bundling, digital-sustainability spillovers, and distributed eco-innovation, that advance Transaction Cost Economics, the Resource-Based View, Dynamic Capabilities, and GVC governance theories to better account for the sustainability and platform dimensions of contemporary digitalised value chains. Full article

In the post-truth era, effective governance of emergency public sentiment faces significant challenges due to the phenomenon of opinion deviation. Although online public opinion has been extensively investigated, the specific impact of Public Opinion Deviation (POD) on the evolution of group negative emotion remains inadequately understood. To address this gap, this study proposes an explicable framework that integrates community detection, text mining, and opinion dynamics. Opinion deviation communities are identified by applying the Louvain algorithm and TextRank to social media data, followed by a deviation analysis of community topics against core issues. Subsequently, a multi-stage quantification model is constructed to measure the severity of POD. During these processes, we develop a novel Opinion Dynamics F-J model (POD F-J model) and its intervention-oriented model (IPOD F-J model), which incorporate the quantified POD severity to simulate the evolution of group negative emotion. Our findings demonstrate an intrinsic correlation between the severity of opinion deviation and the intensity of group negative emotion at the information level, thereby confirming the necessity of targeted intervention. Simulation experiments indicate that different intervention strategies should be adopted depending on the situation. Moreover, the application of a greedy algorithm identifies the time points corresponding to the peak severity of deviation and its onset as the efficiency-oriented intervention timings. This study provides a data-driven framework for monitoring and mitigating emotional contagion in deviation communities, contributing to both the theory and practice of digital governance. Full article

Lean manufacturing has historically focused on eliminating waste from physical production processes; however, increasing digitalization has shifted a substantial portion of operational effort toward information processing and decision making. Existing Lean frameworks lack formal mechanisms to model and quantify inefficiencies arising within these cognitive processes. This paper introduces Cognitive Waste Theory, a mathematical extension of Lean manufacturing that defines cognitive inefficiency as a distinct form of operational waste. Cognitive waste is conceptualized as non-value-adding mental effort generated by misaligned information flow, task structure, and organizational learning dynamics. The framework decomposes cognitive waste into five analytically separable categories: Information Overload, Context Switching, Knowledge Fragmentation, Cognitive Load, and Learning Lag, each expressed through formal mathematical representations grounded in cognitive and operations theory. To enable quantitative assessment, the study proposes normalized waste functions and develops two composite indices: the Cognitive Efficiency Index (CEI), capturing the ratio of effective decision output to cognitive load, and Information Flow Efficiency (IFE), structured analogously to Overall Equipment Effectiveness. Furthermore, classical Lean instruments are reformulated for analytical application in the cognitive domain through Information Value Stream Mapping and Cognitive 5S. By embedding cognitive constructs within a measurable Lean framework, this work provides an attempt to establish a rigorous foundation for analyzing, comparing, and improving cognitive performance in digitally intensive manufacturing systems. Full article

When digital technologies are disconnected from organizational routines, they fail to create and capture real value in organic agriculture. Anchored in socio-technical systems theory, a five-dimensional analytical framework covering technology, structure, people, tasks, and rules is proposed in this study. Using survey data from 753 organic farms in China, this study combines PLS-SEM, fsQCA, NCA, and NConfA to uncover the core factors and the configurational and necessary mechanisms that drive value creation in organic agriculture through digitalization. The findings reveal that task and structure are the most central drivers of value creation. High value creation results from three equifinal configurations, namely a dual-core people–task path, a deep socio-technical coupling path, and an institution–structure–task support path, whereas low value creation is directly associated with the absence of task or structure. Task, people, and structure are also identified as necessary conditions for high value creation. In contrast, the value creation process exhibits stage-dependent threshold effects, with the dominant logic shifting from individual capability-driven mechanisms to system collaborative mechanisms across development stages and organizational contexts. These results indicate that value creation in organic agriculture driven by digitalization is not a simple linear extension of technology into production, but a process of socio-technical reconfiguration embedded in specific task settings. Full article

Anchoring systems for deep-water floating structures must withstand complex, hydro-mechanical (H-M) coupled uplift forces throughout an operational life extending over decades, yet fundamental understanding of this complicated H-M behavior remains insufficient. This paper presents a comprehensive review of H-M coupled foundation–seabed interactions under uplift loading. Key experimental findings are synthesized to demonstrate that the fundamental distinction between uplift and compression lies in the foundation-soil interface. Unique interfacial uplift behaviors are highlighted, including the progressive formation of an interfacial gap and the evolution of transient suction within it. This water-filled gap enables sustained tensile contact stress post-detachment, transforming traditional soil-structure interaction to the more general “soil–interfacial fluid–structure” interaction framework. A 1D conceptual model, representing a mechanistic extension of Terzaghi’s consolidation theory, is discussed to further elucidate these H-M mechanisms. For complex 3D numerical simulations, the limitations of traditional total-stress interface models are discussed, and specialized H-M thin-layer and zero-thickness interfaces designed for uplift modeling are critically examined regarding their advantages and limitations. The review concludes by outlining a roadmap for the next research frontier: high-fidelity treatments of sustained multidirectional cyclic loading, suction-induced liquefaction, and the long-term rheological evolution of the interface. Full article

The central charge occupies a unique role in conformal field theory, simultaneously serving as a measure of degrees of freedom, as the determinant of Casimir energy through modular transformations, and as an obstruction to the naive extension of the Witt algebra. The Virasoro central extension itself is rigid: it fixes c as a label of a given conformal field theory. In this work, we propose that higher categorical coherence—the pentagon and hexagon constraints governing fusion and braiding data, one level above the cocycle responsible for the Virasoro extension—supplies an additional, physically controllable handle. We show that controlled deformations of this higher coherence (higher categorical coherence breakdown, HCCB), implemented consistently through anomaly inflow, shift the effective central charge read out by anomaly-sensitive observables in quantized steps, opening the possibility of treating the measured central charge not as a fixed label but as an experimentally addressable piecewise-quantized quantity. We then focus on the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), where the chiral central charge $c_{-}$ directly governs the quantized thermal Hall conductance. After reviewing the role of edge conformal field theories and current bounds on thermal transport, we propose experimental modifications—such as engineering multi-component edge states, coupling to non-Abelian quasiparticles, or introducing controlled categorical perturbations—that could render higher coherence breakdown detectable as shifts in the effective central charge. Two further elements complete the program. First, we show that within the consistent framework, all route- and bracketing-dependent observables vanish identically (route blindness), so that the pentagon and hexagon interferometers and thermal Y-junction networks we design operate as precision null tests of the modular-functor axioms themselves—the axioms stating that anyonic amplitudes are determined by the topology of a process rather than by the bookkeeping route used to compose it. Second, we show that a quantized remnant of route sensitivity survives in exactly one consistent form: the holonomy of closed cycles of categorical controls, realizing a central-charge pump for which the integer count per cycle is a family invariant beyond any static stacking description. The resulting framework provides both a conceptual reinterpretation of the central charge as a higher obstruction in categorical terms and a concrete experimental route for probing its dynamical behavior. Beyond the quantum Hall setting, these ideas suggest a broader program: anomalies, topological phases, and even string worldsheet central charges may admit reinterpretation through higher coherence. We conclude by outlining a research agenda in which categorical methods yield new experimental observables, potentially transforming the interplay between mathematics, condensed matter physics, and high-energy theory. Full article

Background/Objectives: Associations between scores on tests of sensory integration functions demonstrated in numerous studies over six decades have contributed to the development of Ayres Sensory Integration^® (ASI) theory and practice. Understanding these “patterns” aids therapists in their interpretation of assessment results, ensuring appropriate and effective intervention. This study aimed to describe and discuss published research on identified patterns related to constructs in the Ayres Sensory Integration^® approach. Methods: Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist were used. The literature review search was guided by the following criteria: population (children aged from 3 years to 12 years and 11 months), context (the literature within ASI), and concept (sensory integration patterns). Data were sourced from the following databases: CHINAL, ProQuest (Health & Medical Complete), SABINET, Web of Science, PubMed, OpenGreyEU, Greylit.org, and CADTH GreyMatters. There was no date constraint, and all available data were collected. Results: After reviewing 998 peer-reviewed articles, 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. Data extraction, charting, and analysis indicating a clear pattern of assessments were used to determine the sensory integration patterns. Similarities and differences between sensory integration patterns were found over time, in different diagnostic groups and different settings. Conclusions: The ASI approach is based on detailed research on the development of assessment instruments used for evaluation and sensory integration patterns used for interpretation of the assessment results. This research has been conducted over the past 60 years and contributes to an evidence-based therapeutic approach. Full article

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China’s coal industry urgently requires an ESG evaluation system that reflects its high carbon emissions, operational risks and technology-driven transformation. Existing frameworks are derived mainly from general international standards and do not fully capture these industry-specific features. Using grounded theory, this study conducted three-level coding of 45 core literature sources and 15 policy documents and extracted 12 categories. From the perspective of the “New Three Modernizations”—green transformation, intelligent transformation and integrated development—this study constructs an ESG evaluation indicator system for coal enterprises comprising three primary indicators, 12 secondary indicators and 34 tertiary indicators. The entropy weight method and the extension cloud model were then used to evaluate Group ZN from 2020 to 2024. The results show that Group ZN’s ESG performance improved from Medium (C) in 2020–2021 to Good (B) in 2022–2024. The environmental dimension remained the main constraint, whereas the social and governance dimensions improved more clearly. The proposed system integrates industry characteristics with national policy priorities and provides a practical tool for ESG diagnosis and governance improvement in coal enterprises. Full article

In our present study, we introduce and examine several new subclasses of analytic functions defined through the convolution operator $H_Y^{\lambda ,q}$, which is formulated using the classical error function. Our approach relies on the concept of quasi-subordination, a broad extension of subordination in geometric function theory. For each of these newly defined classes, we focus on deriving significant properties such as the upper bounds of the first few Taylor–Maclaurin coefficients of normalized series, evaluation of classical Fekete–Szegö functional, and calculating the upper bounds of Hankel and Toeplitz determinants for different orders. The combination of the proposed operator and the quasi-subordination framework offers a unified strategy for tackling these problems. Our findings also generalize various existing results in the field. Full article