Search Results (7,196)

Financial literacy is essential for sustainable social and economic development, but several demographics and financial behaviors can influence informed decision-making. In this investigation, we examine the interaction between Financial Literacy (FL) and Financial Wellbeing and Behavior (FWB) across 286 Brazilian education professionals. We employ a two-step approach for analysis: step one is determining the influential demographic variables for Financial Literacy (FL); in step two, FL serves as a primary variable for explaining Financial Wellbeing and Behavior (FWB). We utilize both multiple regressions and supervised machine learning for factor verification for both concepts. The findings show that superior Financial Literacy is a highly significant and substantial positive antecedent of excellent Financial Wellbeing and Behavior ($p<0.01$). We also find that a significant gender gap exists in financial knowledge, such that women significantly underperform men on financial literacy tests. Machine learning models confirm that FL is the strongest feature for FWB prediction by far and that gender is the strongest antecedent of a consumer’s level of financial literacy. These findings suggest that policymakers must do more than provide primary financial literacy; they also need to deploy behavioral insights to raise long-term financial freedom and close the gender gap. Upscaling teacher financial literacy is a strategic social sustainability investment that promotes the explicit Sustainable Development Goals, including “Quality Education,” “Gender Equality,” “Decent Work” and “Economic Growth”. Full article

The adoption of active upper-limb prostheses with multiple degrees of freedom is largely lagging due to bulky designs and counterintuitive operation. Accurate gesture prediction with minimal sensors is key to enabling low-profile, user-friendly prosthetic devices. Wearable sensors, such as electromyography (EMG) and accelerometry (ACC) sensors, provide valuable signals for identifying patterns relating muscle activity and arm movement to specific gestures. This study investigates which sensor type (EMG or ACC) has the most valuable information to predict hand grasps and identifies the signal features contributing the most to grasp prediction performance. Using an open-source dataset, we trained two types of subject-specific classifiers (LDA & KNN) to predict 10 grasp types in 13 individuals with and 28 individuals without amputation. Having 4-fold cross-validation, LDA average accuracies using ACC only features (84.7%) were similar to combined ACC & EMG (88.3%) and much greater than with only EMG features (58.1%). Feature importance analysis showed that participants with amputation reached more than 80% accuracy using only three features, two of which were ACC-derived, while able-bodied participants required nine features, with greater reliance on EMG. These findings suggest that ACC is sufficient for robust grasp classification in individuals with amputation and can support simpler, more accessible prosthetic designs. Future work should focus on incorporating object and grip force detection alongside grasp recognition and testing model performance in real-time prosthetic control settings. Full article

This work is devoted a particular trajectory tracking problem of underactuated unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) with model reduced to five degrees of freedom (DOF). Such a model is quite widespread in the literature and used to describe the dynamics of UUVs. On this basis, various control strategies are designed, such that the closed-loop system track the trajectory with assumed accuracy. Unfortunately, the main drawback of this approach is that the presented results relate to the situation when the center of the mass is the same as the geometric center-point. Several algorithms have been selected for testing the control effectiveness (one based on the model with shifted center of the mass and other four based on the assumption that this center is in the same place as the geometric center). The goal of the paper is to check whether the correction mechanisms contained in the controller ensure the implementation of the trajectory tracking task. Simulation results on the five-DOF vehicle model show performance of the considered control schemes in the presence of a small shift of the mass center. Full article

The purpose of this paper is to implement a path-following control system based on the kinematics of the Lizard-Inspired Single-Actuated robot (LISA). LISA is a new type of robot that mimics the quadrupedal walking morphology of lizards with a four-bar linkage mechanism and can realize both propulsion and turning with 1 degree-of-freedom. To achieve this purpose, this paper takes 3 approaches: kinematics formulation, control system design, and experimental verification. In the kinematics formulation, we formulate LISA’s turning angle, stride length, posture, propulsive direction, curvature, and position coordinate. In control system design, we design a control system that converges not only the distance error but also the posture error and control input. Conditional equations that can achieve these 3 control targets are formulated using forward kinematics and reference path functions. The experimental verifications were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the designed path-following control system using three types of paths: linear, circular, and combined linear and circular. As a result, it was confirmed that the Root Mean Square values for the control input, the distance error, and the attitude error were sufficiently small in steady state. Therefore, it was confirmed that the 3 control objectives had been achieved. Full article

To address the power sharing dissymmetry in islanded microgrids with multiple parallel inverters caused by asymmetrical line impedance distribution and internal parameter mismatches, this paper proposes an adaptive virtual complex impedance control strategy based on line impedance identification for symmetry restoration. The strategy incorporates model predictive control (MPC) into the current inner loop and a two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) control into the voltage outer loop of inverters. By establishing a real-time impedance identification mechanism and generating adaptive virtual impedance, the system achieves symmetrical power sharing under asymmetrical grid conditions. Firstly, the voltage-current dual-loop design eliminates the impact of internal impedance dissymmetry and enhances disturbance rejection capabilities. Secondly, the adaptive virtual complex impedance actively compensates for line impedance mismatches among units, thereby resolving power unbalance and restoring operational symmetry. Simulation results validate the strategy’s effectiveness in enabling balanced power sharing and symmetrical operation of distributed inverters. Full article

Peter Lombard’s First Book of the Sentences presents formidable questions concerning the principle of the Son’s generation. Addressing a gap in contemporary scholarship, this article examines Lombard’s foundational exposition of the Father’s power and will to generate. Placing Lombard in dialogue with Thomas Aquinas, this study traces the development of this doctrine across Aquinas’s career, from his commentary on the Sentences to De potentia and the Summa theologiae. Our analysis adopts Aquinas’s own framework to investigate a series of questions: whether generation is an act of nature or will; whether the power to generate is part of omnipotence; whether it is essential or relational; and whether the Son possesses this power. This study finds that Aquinas’s conclusions often converge with Lombard’s intuitions. Both affirm that generation is by nature while simultaneously accompanied by a concomitant will, and that the generative power is rooted in the divine essence. Aquinas’s analysis, however, represents a significant metaphysical development. A key evolution is traced in Aquinas’s understanding of the power to generate, which shifts from being a quasi-natural power distinct from omnipotence to a form of paternal omnipotence. His characterization of this power also matures from being a middle ground between the essential and the relational to being principally essential, signifying the relation of paternity only obliquely. This trajectory toward a firmer grounding in the divine essence is supported by an increasingly refined set of arguments for the Son’s unicity, with principles like the determination of nature and divine simplicity becoming more prominent in his later works. By charting these developments, this article demonstrates how Aquinas builds upon Lombard’s foundational intuitions to construct a more systematic and robust Trinitarian theology. Ultimately, our analysis illuminates the intellectual journey from sound doctrinal intuition to profound metaphysical articulation, where the tenets of faith are secured by a cogent intellectual framework. Our analysis also offers a counter-narrative to contemporary assumptions, challenging modern conceptions of power as a zero-sum game and of freedom as mere arbitrary choice. Full article

This study investigates how urban park co-governance fosters a sense of belonging among residents and advances the Right to the City. It examines the role of parks in mitigating spatial fragmentation, inadequate living conditions, and relational disconnection in high-density urban environments. As essential green infrastructure, urban parks play a vital role in promoting spatial justice, community cohesion, and resident well-being. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s Right to the City framework, this study introduces the concept of the Right to Urban Park, conceptualised as a bundle of rights: freedom (appropriation), individualisation (socialisation), habitat and to inhabit (differentiation), and key point participation. Focusing on the governance and self-governance of parks in high-density cities, this research mixed qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse a representative case in central Shanghai. The findings show that participation, collective action, and co-governance in urban parks effectively support the Right to the City. Integrating the Right to Urban Park framework into park planning and management enhances diversity, equality, and inclusion, thereby improving urban well-being. This framework plays an important role in fostering enfranchisement, individuation, and association processes that strengthen recognition, sense of belonging, and well-being. Full article

Air-coupled ultrasonic detection demands high transmission performance from piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs). However, existing microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based PMUTs deliver limited output, which compromises measurement accuracy and constrains further development. This work proposes a novel PMUT design with a cantilevered, boundary-suspended diaphragm that relieves residual stress, relaxes edge constraints, increases the mechanical degrees of freedom, and enables larger vibration amplitudes. Additionally, this work develops an accurate air-coupling model to predict device performance and a streamlined micro-nanofabrication process for device realization. Experimental results show that under a 1 Vpp (−5 Voffset) drive, the device achieves a peak acoustic pressure of 4.004 Pa at 69.3 kHz, measured at 10 cm distance in air, corresponding to a maximum sound pressure level of 106.02 dB (re 2 × 10⁻⁵ Pa). Compared to a traditional PMUT at 98.45 dB, this represents a 7.57 dB improvement and, to our knowledge, the highest reported sound pressure level at 10 cm for a single PMUT operating near 70 kHz under a 1 Vpp excitation. These results validate the significant enhancement in transmission performance achieved by the proposed topological structure, offering a solution to overcome the common bottleneck of insufficient output in PMUTs, and indicate strong potential for broader air-coupled sensing applications. Full article

Background and Objectives: current guidelines recommend surgical treatment for asymptomatic popliteal artery aneurysm > 20 mm in diameter, although without any suggestion about the preferred treatment choice. The two main treatment options are open surgical repair (OPAR) and endovascular repair (EPAR). Although ER has emerged as a promising technique due to being less invasive, OPAR remains the standard in many centers. The aim of the study is to report and compare outcomes of both endovascular and open repair of asymptomatic PAAs to provide an extensive overview of their current management. Materials and Methods: the present review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Guidelines. Preliminary searches were conducted on MEDLINE, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science from January 2010 to September 2025. Articles were divided into three main groups based on the preferred treatment modality. Early outcomes were technical success, mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), and graft occlusion(s). In mid- and long-term periods, the evaluated outcomes were overall survival, amputation-free survival, primary patency, primary assisted patency, secondary patency, and freedom from reintervention. Results: 21 articles were identified for a total of 9760 patients and 10,062 limbs treated. Technical success was up to 100% for both OPAR and EPAR with low complication rates. Primary patency (79.8% vs. 63.8%; p = 0.012) and freedom from reintervention (82.2% vs. 68.4%; p = 0.021) seem to be better for OPAR than EPAR. Overall survival, amputation free-survival, and secondary patency rates are comparable between the two techniques. Conclusions: although endovascular repair has emerged as a safe and effective approach to treat elective PAAs, long-term data on a large scale are still lacking. Indeed, open surgical repair remains the milestone, due to excellent primary patency rates, regardless of the conduit used. Full article

Ductility, as a fundamental mechanical property, allows structures to undergo inelastic deformations and dissipate seismic energy while maintaining their load-carrying capacity without substantial strength degradation. Thus, the estimation of structural ductility demand has consistently constituted an essential topic of research interest in earthquake engineering. In this study, an iterative procedure for estimating the ductility demand of elastoplastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems through dissipated energy is introduced. The proposed procedure helps the determination of ductility demand by use of only elastic response spectra. It initially estimates the hysteretic energy as a proportion of the total input energy. Then, ductility demand is estimated with the help of a developed equation by performing regression analyses based on the nonlinear time history analyses results of elastoplastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems with a certain strength. Time history analyses were carried out by using an extensive earthquake ground motion database, which includes a total of 268 far-field records, two horizontal components from 134 recording stations located on firm soil sites. Full article

Structural Topology Optimisation (STO) plays a critical role in computational engineering, enabling the creation of material-efficient, performance-driven structures. However, dynamic STO workflows, particularly those involving time-varying or seismic excitations, are often inaccessible to architects and engineers due to their reliance on standalone solvers, large-scale data handling, and advanced programming skills. This paper introduces a Computer-Aided Design (CAD)-embedded, time-dependent STO framework built upon a modular, adjoint-based optimisation core integrated into a Visual Programming Language (VPL) interface. Implemented within a parametric CAD environment through a custom C# component, the framework embeds a MATLAB-based solver to support geometry definition, boundary condition control, and dynamic finite element analysis under harmonic and seismic loading. The resulting Graphical User Interface (GUI) lowers technical barriers by enabling users to iteratively configure STO parameters, manage meshing, and visualise real-time results. Case studies on tall building façades under earthquake excitation validate the framework’s ability to minimise displacement at targeted Degrees of Freedom (DOFs), dynamically adapt material distributions, and enhance structural resilience. By bridging high-fidelity computational methods with accessible visual workflows, the proposed system advances the integration of dynamic STO into both architectural and engineering practice. Full article

Autonomous driving is anticipated to increase safety, efficiency, and accessibility of passenger transportation. Passengers are given freedom in the use of travel time through the potential to conduct non-driving related tasks (NDRTs). However, factors such as trust and motion sickness pose challenges to the widespread adoption of this technology. Human–machine interfaces (HMIs) have shown potential in mitigating motion sickness and fostering trust calibration in autonomous vehicles (AVs), e.g., by visualizing upcoming or current maneuvers of the vehicle. The majority of research on such HMIs relies on the passengers’ attention, preventing uninterrupted NDRT execution and thus impeding the automation’s usefulness. In this paper, we present a visual HMI, providing AV passengers with information about current driving maneuvers through their peripheral fields of view. This method of information transmission is compared to conventional in-vehicle displays and LED strips regarding perceptibility and distraction. In a controlled laboratory setting, N = 34 participants experienced each HMI condition, indicating their perception of the maneuver visualizations using joystick input while either focusing on a fixation cross to measure perceptibility or solving math tasks to measure distraction. The peripheral HMIs caused better maneuver perception (${{\eta }_{\mathrm{p}}}^2=0.12$) and lower distraction (${{\eta }_{\mathrm{g}}}^2=0.16$) from a visual NDRT than the conventional displays. These results yield implications for the design of HMIs for motion sickness mitigation and trust calibration in AVs. Full article

A general relativistic model of an astrophysical hypermassive extremely magnetized ultra-compact self-bound quark–gluon plasma (QGP: ALICE/LHC) object that is supported against its ultimate gravitational implosion by the simultaneous action of the vacuum polarization driven by nonlinear electrodynamics (NLED: ATLAS/LHC: light-by-light scattering)—the vacuum “awakening”—and the asymptotic freedom, a key feature of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), is presented. These QCD stars can be the final figures of the equilibrium of collapsing stellar cores permeated by magnetic fields with strengths well beyond the Schwinger threshold due to being self-bound, and for which post-supernova fallback material pushes the nascent remnant beyond its stability, forcing it to collapse into a hybrid hypermassive neutron star (HHMNS). Hypercritical accretion can drive its innermost core to spontaneously break away color confinement, powering a first-order hadron-to-quark phase transition to a sea of ever-freer quarks and gluons. This core is hydro-stabilized by the steady, endlessly compression-admitting asymptotic freedom state, possibly via gluon-mediated enduring exchange of color charge among bound states, e.g., the odderon: a glueball state of three gluons, or either quark-pairing (color superconductivity) or tetraquark/pentaquark states (LHCb Coll.). This fast—at the QGP speed of sound—but incremental quark–gluon deconfinement unbinds the HHMNS’s baryons so catastrophically that transforms it, turning it inside-out, into a neat self-bound QGP star. A solution to the nonlinear Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff (TOV) equation is obtained—that clarifies the nonlinear effects of both NLED and QCD on the compact object’s structure—which clearly indicates the occurrence of hypermassive QGP/QCD stars with a wide mass spectrum ($0\lesssim {\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\lesssim$ 7 M_⊙ and beyond), for star radii ($0\lesssim R_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\lesssim 24$ km and beyond) with B-fields (${10}^{14}\le {\mathrm{B}}_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\le {10}^{16}$ G and beyond). This unexpected feature is described by a novel mass vs. radius relation derived within this scenario. Hence, endowed with these physical and astrophysical characteristics, such QCD stars can definitively emulate what the true (theoretical) black holes are supposed to gravitationally do in most astrophysical settings. This color quark star could be found through a search for its eternal “yo-yo” state gravitational-wave emission, or via lensing phenomena like a gravitational rainbow (quantum mechanics and gravity interaction), as in this scenario, it is expected that the light deflection angle—directly influenced by the larger effective mass/radius (${\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\left(B\right)$, ${\mathrm{R}}_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\left(B\right)$) and magnetic field of the deflecting object—increases as the incidence angle decreases, in view of the lower values of the impact parameter. The gigantic—but not infinite—surface gravitational redshift, due to NLED photon acceleration, makes the object appear dark. Full article

Upper limb disabilities resulting from stroke affect millions worldwide, yet current rehabilitation systems face limitations in portability, cost-effectiveness, and multi-joint integration. This study presents a cable-driven parallel exoskeleton integrating elbow, wrist, and finger assistance into a single portable device. The design strategically separates actuation components, housing all motors in a backpack unit, while limb-mounted modules serve as cable routing guides, achieving seven degrees of freedom within practical constraints of portability (1.2–1.5 kg) and cost-effectiveness (3D-printed components). The device incorporates seven servo motors controlled via Arduino with IMU feedback and PID algorithms. Kinematic and dynamic analyses informed mechanical design, while ARMAX system identification enabled controller optimization achieving 87.96% model fit. Experimental validation with eight healthy participants performing four upper limb exercises demonstrated consistent trends toward reduced activation in four monitored agonist muscles with exoskeleton assistance (21.3% average reduction, p = 0.087), with moderate effect sizes for proximal muscles (Cohen’s d = 0.70–0.79) and significant reductions in brachioradialis during radial/ulnar deviation (23.4%, p = 0.045). These findings provide preliminary evidence of the device’s potential to reduce muscular effort during assisted movements, warranting further clinical validation with patient populations. Full article

The sun tracker plays a major role in improving the energy efficiency of a solar power system. To address this role, this study experimentally explores the energy efficiency of three sun-tracking systems with three types of degrees of freedom (DOFs)—namely, single-axis for both elevation (1DOF_Elev) and azimuth (1DOF_Azim), and dual-axis (2DOF)—integrated in photovoltaic (PV) panels. The three sun-tracking configurations are assessed and compared with the fixed system (0DOF), considering both the net electricity output of the studied photovoltaic system and the energy consumption of each configuration during operation. To accomplish this objective, hardware and software tools were deployed to create a prototype. The sun-tracking techniques are based on the sun position algorithm (astronomical calculations). The different data (time, voltage, current, power, azimuth, and elevation) are stored in real time within a locally developed database which represents crucial data within SCADA systems embedded in smart grids. The results revealed that the 2DOF system exhibits the highest energy efficiency (37.23%), followed by 1DOF_Azim (12.86%), and then by 1DOF_Elev (10.05%), when compared to 0DOF. Overall, this study provides solutions for optimizing photovoltaic energy production and could be integrated into battery-powered devices to accelerate battery recharging, achieving time savings of over 30%. Full article