Search Results (867)

Managing finances in a supply chain today is not as straightforward as it once was. The world is constantly shifting—markets fluctuate, risks emerge unexpectedly—and companies are continually trying to stay one step ahead. In all this, financial resilience has become more than just a strategy. It is a survival skill. In our research, we examined how newer technologies (such as blockchain and the Internet of Things) can make a difference. The idea was not to reinvent the wheel but to see if these tools could actually make financing more transparent, reduce some of the friction, and maybe even help companies breathe a little easier when it comes to liquidity. We employed two optimization methods (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) and Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO)) to achieve a balanced outcome. The goal was lower financing costs, better liquidity, and stronger resilience. Blockchain did not just record transactions—it seemed to build trust. Meanwhile, the Internet of Things (IoT) provided companies with a clearer picture of what is happening in real-time, making financial outcomes a bit less of a guessing game. However, it gives financial managers a better chance at planning and not getting caught off guard when the economy takes a turn. Full article

Background: Understanding the relationship between physical demands and game performance is essential to optimize player development and management in basketball. This study aimed to examine the association between game performance and physical demands in youth male basketball players. Methods: Fifteen players (16.3 ± 0.7 years) from a Spanish 4th division team were monitored over seven official games. Game performance variables were extracted from official statistics, including traditional and advanced metrics. Physical demands were monitored using an Electronic Performance Tracking System device, combining a positioning system and inertial sensors. Partial correlations, controlling for minutes played, were calculated to explore associations between physical demands and performance variables, both for the entire team and by playing position. Results: Significant correlations between physical demands and game performance were observed. Points scored correlated strongly with total distance and high-intensity accelerations, while assists correlated with high-intensity decelerations. Inertial metrics, such as player load and the number of jumps, showed large correlations with points, two-point attempts, and the efficiency rating. Positional analysis revealed stronger and more numerous correlations for centers compared to guards and forwards. Inertial sensor-derived metrics exhibited a greater number and strength of correlations than positioning metrics. Conclusions: Game performance and physical demands are intrinsically related, with specific patterns varying by playing position. Inertial sensors provide valuable complementary information to positioning systems for assessing physical demands in basketball. These findings can assist practitioners in tailoring monitoring and training strategies to optimize performance and manage player workload effectively. Full article

Epicardial mesothelial cells (EMCs), which form the epicardium, play a crucial role in cardiac homeostasis and repair. Upon damage, EMCs reactivate embryonic development programs, contributing to wound healing, progenitor cell amplification, and regulation of lymphangiogenesis, angiogenesis, and fibrosis. However, the mechanisms governing EMC activation and subsequent regulation remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a pleiotropic regulator of various cellular functions, could modulate EMC activity. To verify this hypothesis, we developed HGF-overexpressing mesenchymal stromal cell sheets (HGF-MSC CSs) and evaluated their effects on EMCs in vitro and in vivo. This study has revealed, for the first time, that EMCs express the c-Met (HGF receptor) on their surface and that both recombinant HGF and HGF-MSC CSs secretome cause c-Met phosphorylation, triggering downstream intracellular signaling. Our findings demonstrate that the HGF-MSC CSs secretome promotes cell survival under hypoxic conditions by modulating the level of autophagy. At the same time, HGF-MSC CSs stimulate EMC proliferation, promoting their amplification in the damage zone. These data demonstrate that HGF-MSC CSs can be considered a promising regulator of epicardial cell activity involved in heart repair after ischemic damage. Full article

Background: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a physically demanding sport associated with a notable risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Understanding injury patterns, rehabilitation approaches, and psychological readiness to return to sport (RTS) is essential for prevention and management strategies. This study aimed to investigate injury characteristics among Italian BJJ athletes, assess their rehabilitation processes and psychological recovery, and identify key risk factors such as belt level, body mass index (BMI), and training load. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among members of the Italian BJJ community, including amateur and competitive athletes. A total of 360 participants completed a 36-item online questionnaire. Data collected included injury history, rehabilitation strategies, RTS timelines, and responses to the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport (I-PRRS) scale. A Random Forest machine learning algorithm was used to identify and rank potential injury risk factors. Results: Of the 360 respondents, 331 (92%) reported at least one injury, predominantly occurring during training sessions. The knee was the most frequently injured joint, and the action “attempting to pass guard” was the most reported mechanism. Most athletes (65%) returned to training within one month. BMI and age emerged as the most significant predictors of injury risk. Psychological readiness scores indicated moderate confidence, with the lowest levels associated with playing without pain. Conclusions: Injuries in BJJ are common, particularly affecting the knee. Psychological readiness, especially confidence in training without pain, plays a critical role in RTS outcomes. Machine learning models may aid in identifying individual risk factors and guiding injury prevention strategies. Full article

Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has emerged as a promising sub-10 nm patterning at low cost; yet, robust process control remains difficult because of time-consuming physics-based simulators and labeled SEM data scarcity. We propose a data-efficient, two-stage deep-learning framework here that directly reconstructs post-imprint SEM images from binary design layouts and delivers calibrated pixel-by-pixel uncertainty simultaneously. First, a shallow U-Net is trained on conformalized quantile regression (CQR) to output 90% prediction intervals with statistically guaranteed coverage. Moreover, per-level errors on a small calibration dataset are designed to drive an outlier-weighted and encoder-frozen transfer fine-tuning phase that refines only the decoder, with its capacity explicitly focused on regions of spatial uncertainty. On independent test layouts, our proposed fine-tuned model significantly reduces the mean absolute error (MAE) from 0.0365 to 0.0255 and raises the coverage from 0.904 to 0.926, while cutting the labeled data and GPU time by 80% and 72%, respectively. The resultant uncertainty maps highlight spatial regions associated with error hotspots and support defect-aware optical proximity correction (OPC) with fewer guard-band iterations. Extending the current perspective beyond OPC, the innovatively model-agnostic and modular design of the pipeline here allows flexible integration into other critical stages of the semiconductor manufacturing workflow, such as imprinting, etching, and inspection. In these stages, such predictions are critical for achieving higher precision, efficiency, and overall process robustness in semiconductor manufacturing, which is the ultimate motivation of this study. Full article

This study analyzes 209 dog skeletons from two sites in Wolin (9th–mid-13th century AD) using 100 standard metric variables covering cranial, mandibular, and postcranial elements. Estimated withers height, body mass, age at death, and sex were derived using established methods. The results indicate the presence of at least two to three morphotypes: small spitz-like dogs (40–50 cm, 4–6 kg), medium brachycephalic forms (50–60 cm, 10–15 kg), and larger mesocephalic individuals (up to 65 cm, 20–40 kg). Dogs lived 3–10 years, with both sexes represented. Signs of cranial trauma and dental wear suggest utilitarian roles such as guarding. The size range and morphological diversity point to intentional breeding and trade-based importation. Small dogs likely served as companions or city guards, while medium and large types were used for herding, hunting, or transport. These findings highlight Wolin’s role as a dynamic cultural and trade center, where human–dog relationships were shaped by anthropogenic selection and regional exchange. Full article

This paper introduces a new conceptual framework for interpreting urethral retro-resistance pressure (URP) as a dynamic, intra-procedural tool—ΔURP—for evaluating external urethral sphincter (EUS) engagement during injection therapy. With renewed interest in therapies that directly target the EUS, there is a critical need for real-time functional feedback at the site of action. This conceptual review re-examines URP in the context of emerging EUS-targeted treatments—such as bulking agents, regenerative injections, and neuromodulatory interventions—and proposes a dynamic model (ΔURP) to measure changes in sphincteric resistance as a functional biomarker during intervention. We review the anatomical, neurophysiological, and histological features of the EUS complex; trace the clinical rise and decline of URP; and compare its utility to conventional diagnostic tools. ΔURP, defined as the change in URP from baseline, is explored as an objective measure of EUS function. We outline its potential applications in guiding therapy, evaluating response, and standardizing outcomes across treatments. Conventional urodynamic measures fail to isolate distal sphincter function. In contrast, URP directly challenges the EUS and, when combined with imaging or procedural tools, may provide real-time feedback on sphincter engagement. When reframed as a dynamic, motion-based readout, URP may fill a critical gap in procedural urology—offering a physiologic signal of therapeutic engagement during EUS-targeted interventions. ΔURP has the potential to revive and repurpose a once-abandoned method into a clinically actionable biomarker for next-generation continence care. Full article

The willingness to pay (WTP) for green energy consumption not only indicates the public’s green energy consumption practices, but also affects the realization of China’s “dual carbon” goals and global green development. Based on data from the 2018 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this study describes the WTP for green energy consumption of Chinese urban and rural residents in the context of “dual carbon”. Moreover, it provides an in-depth interpretation from the perspectives of capital endowment and energy cognition, guided by social practice theory (SPT). This study found that, firstly, the public’s WTP for green energy consumption needs to be strengthened urgently, and the percentage of the refusal to participate group reaches 41.44%, and shows significant urban–rural differences. Compared with rural residents, the proportion and amount of WTP for urban residents are 7.5% and 4.016 CNY/month higher, respectively. Secondly, capital endowment and energy cognition are important influencing factors. Among them, economic capital (β = 0.647, p < 0.01) and cultural capital (β = 0.358, p < 0.05) play a significant role for urban residents, while rural residents depend on the government support cognition of energy (β = 7.678, p < 0.001). Finally, the urban–rural divergence in WTP for green energy consumption mainly stems from the gap in capital endowment, which contributes 29.08%, significantly higher than the contribution of energy cognition (8.34%). Therefore, efforts should be made to enhance the capital endowment levels of urban and rural residents, implement a targeted energy knowledge dissemination system, build a comprehensive government support system, and break down institutional barriers through urban–rural integration to guard against the disadvantages of rural residents. Full article

The increased occurrence and severity of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure have underscored the need to embrace systematic and prospective approaches to resilience. The current research takes as its hypothesis that the InfraGuard Cybersecurity Framework—a capability model that measures the maturity of cyber resilience through three functional pillars, Cyber as a Shield, Cyber as a Space, and Cyber as a Sword—is an implementable and understandable means to proceed with. The model treats the significant aspects of situational awareness, active defense, risk management, and recovery from incidents and is measured using globally standardized maturity models like ISO/IEC 15504, NIST CSF, and COBIT. The contributions include multidimensional measurements of resilience, a scored scale of capability (0–5), and domain-based classification enabling organizations to assess and enhance their cybersecurity situation in a formalized manner. The framework’s applicability is illustrated in three exploratory settings of power grids, healthcare systems, and airports, each constituting various levels of maturity in resilience. This study provides down-to-earth recommendations to policymakers through the translation of the attributes of resilience into concrete assessment indicators, promoting policymaking, investment planning, and global cyber defense collaboration. Full article

Polyploidy in plants can enhance stress resistance and secondary metabolite production, offering potential benefits for Clausena lansium (L.) Skeel, a medicinally valuable species. However, systematic studies of polyploidy-induced morphological, anatomical, and metabolic changes in this species are lacking. This study aimed to induce and characterize polyploid C. lansium lines, assess ploidy-dependent variations, and evaluate their impact on bioactive metabolite accumulation. Three cultivars were hybridized, treated with colchicine, and bred, yielding 13 stable polyploid lines confirmed by flow cytometry and chromosome counting. The polyploids exhibited distinct traits, including larger pollen grains, altered leaf margins, increased leaflet numbers, enlarged guard cells with reduced stomatal density, and thicker leaf tissues. Metabolomic analysis revealed that tetraploids accumulated significantly higher levels of flavonoids, alkaloids, and phenolic acids compared to diploids, while triploids showed moderate increases. These findings demonstrate that polyploidization, particularly tetraploidy, enhances C. lansium’s medicinal potential by boosting pharmacologically active compounds. The study expands germplasm resources and supports the development of high-quality cultivars for pharmaceutical applications. Full article

Sport injury recognition is rapidly evolving with the integration of new emerging technologies. This systematic review aims to identify and evaluate technologies capable of detecting injuries during sports participation. A comprehensive search of PUBMED, Sport Discus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024608964). Inclusion criteria focused on prospective studies involving athletes of all ages, evaluating tools which are utilised to identify injuries in sports settings. The review included research between 2014 and 2024; retrospective, conceptual, and fatigue-focused studies were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) tool. Of 4283 records screened, 70 full-text articles were assessed, with 21 studies meeting the final inclusion criteria. The technologies were grouped into advanced imaging (Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DFI), and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM), with biomarkers (i.e., Neurofilament Light (NfL), Tau protein, Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), Salivary MicroRNAs, and Immunoglobulin A (IgA), and sideline assessments (i.e., the King–Devick test, KD-Eye Tracking, modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS), DETECT, ImPACT structured video analysis, and Instrumented Mouth Guards (iMGs)), which demonstrated feasibility for immediate sideline identification of injury. Future research should improve methodological rigour through larger, diverse samples and controlled designs, with real-world testing environments. Following this guidance, the application of emerging technologies may assist medical staff, coaches, and national governing bodies in identifying injuries in a sports setting, providing real-time assessment. Full article

As the number of IoT (Internet of Things) devices continues to grow at an exceptional rate, so does the variety of use cases and operating environments. IoT now plays a crucial role in areas including smart cities, medicine and smart agriculture, where environments vary to include built environments, forest, paddocks and many more. This research examines how Wi-Fi HaLow can be optimised to support the varying environments and a wide variety of applications. Through examining data from performance evaluation testing conducted in varying environments, a framework has been developed. The framework takes inputs relating to the operating environment and application to produce configuration recommendations relating to ideal channel width, MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme), GI (Guard Interval), antenna selection and distance between communicating devices to provide the optimal performance to support the given use case. The application of the framework is then demonstrated when applied to three various scenarios. This research demonstrates that through the configuration of a number of parameters, Wi-Fi HaLow is a versatile network technology able to support a broad range of IoT use cases. Full article

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the adhesion of oral microorganisms on the surfaces of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes used in guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedures. Materials and Methods: In this study, three oral microorganisms (Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Candida albicans) were used, and six PTFE membranes were characterized by their surface roughness, contact angle (CA), and surface free energy (SFE). Microbial hydrophobicity was investigated, and adhesion was examined via DNA extraction and quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Significant differences were noted amongst the membranes with respect to SFE, CA, and roughness (p < 0.001). S. mutans was the most hydrophobic microorganism, followed by C. albicans and P. gingivalis. SEM analyses confirmed that the microorganisms adhered to all membranes, with Surgitime being the membrane that attracted the highest number of S. mutans (p < 0.001) and P. gingivalis (p < 0.001). By contrast, OsseoGuard-TXT was one of the membranes that attracted the lowest number (p < 0.001) of all three tested species. Conclusions: The results showed that microbial adhesion to PTFE membranes was affected by the membrane surface roughness and SFE, as well as the characteristics of the microorganisms. The most hydrophilic bacteria adhered the least to all the tested membranes, whereas membranes with a low surface roughness and high SFE attracted the lowest number of all the tested microbes. These results may guide the selection of an appropriate GBR membrane. Full article

Longshan Lilium lancifolium is a well-known medicinal and edible lily and has been registered as a geographical indicator in China. Polyploidization confers many advantages in lily production; however, characteristics of Longshan L. lancifolium improved by polyploidization have not been reported. Here, polyploidization was induced in regenerated Longshan L. lancifolium shoots using colchicine, and the mutant plantlets were characterized by morphological observation, flow cytometry, and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker technology. The optimal medium for inducing shoot regeneration was Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0.2 mg/L of naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 0.4 mg/L of thidiazuron (TDZ). The greatest mutation induction effect was obtained after soaking the regenerated shoots in 0.10% colchicine for 48 h, for an 80.00% frequency of morphological variants. Forty-one mutant plantlets were subjected to flow cytometry, identifying one homozygous polyploid, ‘JD-12’, and one chimeric polyploid, ‘JD-37’. Additionally, 68 chromosomes were found in the ‘JD-12’ root tip cells. Compared with the control, both the tissue-cultured and field-generated ‘JD-12’ plantlets presented a slight decrease in plant height, a darker green leaf color, a rougher leaf surface, and a larger bulblet diameter; furthermore, the upper epidermal and guard cells of ‘JD-12’ were much larger with a significantly lower stomatal density. The ISSR marker detection indicated a genetic variation rate of 6.10% in ‘JD-12’. These results provide a basis for lily polyploidization breeding and the cultivation of superior Longshan L. lancifolium via shoot regeneration. Full article

Parental care increases offspring survival but is typically costly to the parent providing it. Understanding diversity in parental care across animals is a timely topic in evolutionary ecology. Fishes are particularly well suited for studies aimed at understanding the diversity of parental care because parental care in fishes is highly variable across species. In most fish species, no care is provided. When parental care is provided, it is often paternal, although biparental and maternal care occur in some fish species as well. Parental care in fishes ranges from simple guarding of eggs in a territory to prolonged care of young after hatching. Within fishes, gobies are thought to exhibit diverse parental care. In the current manuscript, we begin to synthesize our knowledge of patterns of parental care in gobies by providing a review of the parental care strategies that are exhibited by gobiid species. Our review reveals that parental care in gobies most often includes guarding, fanning, and cleaning, although some species engage in other types of care such as larval release, the production of antimicrobial substances, and the construction of post-mating mounds. Care in gobies is most often paternal, but maternal and biparental care have been documented in some species. Full article