Search Results (834)

Symmetry and structural balance play a fundamental role in the collective behavior of networked agent systems (NASs). In particular, cluster formation tracking, representing the emergence and maintenance of symmetric group structures, has attracted significant attention due to its wide applications in robotics and autonomous systems. However, most existing approaches assume autonomous leaders, which may not be applicable in scenarios where human intervention is required. With this in mind, this paper addresses the cluster formation tracking problem for NASs with collision avoidance, where the leader receives control inputs from a human-in-the-loop (HiTL), making the leader a non-autonomous system. A distributed control protocol is developed so that followers can track the trajectories of their designated leaders using only relative information from neighboring agents. Sufficient conditions are established to guarantee collision-free cluster formation tracking, and Lyapunov-based analysis is employed to prove the asymptotic convergence of the subgroup tracking errors. In the proposed framework, human intervention is incorporated through external commands applied to the leaders, which makes the leader dynamics non-autonomous while preserving the distributed nature of the follower controllers. Simulation studies on a 13-agent network with three subgroups show that all followers achieve the desired time-varying cluster formations under HiTL-driven leader motions, with convergence times ranging from 4.21 s to 5.12 s. Moreover, the final tracking errors of all followers are reduced below $9.07\times {10}^{-5}$, while the minimum pairwise distances within each subgroup remain strictly above the prescribed safety threshold. These quantitative results verify both the effectiveness of the proposed protocol and the practical feasibility of integrating HiTL commands into collision-free cluster formation tracking. Full article

This article explores how Buddhist theories of mind-nature can inform ethical design in artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on AI as a supportive condition for human awakening and self-realization. Drawing on the doctrine of no-self, it argues that AI should not be treated as an autonomous moral subject, but as a contingent mirror of human data, design, and intention. Although present AI does not possess prajñā, it can serve as a mindfulness aid by making patterns of thought, emotion, and desire more visible. Building on the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds, the paper proposes design and oversight principles oriented toward non-harm, truthful communication, fairness, and the reduction of greed, hatred, and delusion in digital environments. It concludes that AI ethics is inseparable from the human moral agency, and that cultivating a “digital Pure Land” depends on the moral choices of decision-makers, engineers, policy-makers, and users, thereby linking technical governance to spiritual practice. Full article

Green innovation is a crucial aspect of an enterprise’s core competitiveness and long-term sustainable development, garnering significant attention from both academic scholars and industry practitioners. However, while existing research has primarily focused on green innovation at the organizational level, the mechanisms driving green innovation behaviors at the individual level have not been thoroughly explored in the literature. This study is grounded in the classic Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theoretical framework and highlights the interplay between job demands (such as environmental ethics and corporate environmental strategies) and job resources (such as green human resource management practices and green transformational leadership). It also integrates individual-level characteristics, specifically green mindfulness and connectedness to nature, to construct a multidimensional interactive model aimed at uncovering the complex mechanisms driving employees’ green innovation. To achieve this, the study employs fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The findings suggest that no single condition is necessary for employee green innovation. However, connectedness to nature consistently appears across all core configurations, indicating a prominent “enabling” effect. This suggests that employee green innovation is an active and proactive form of environmentally responsible behavior, largely driven by individuals’ emotional affinity with nature. Additionally, connectedness to nature serves as a foundational source of intrinsic motivation for environmental awareness and acts as a catalyst across multiple pathways. Configurational analysis reveals an equifinal pattern, identifying three distinct motivational pathways: (1) Self-motivation Combined with Resource Support; (2) Self-motivation Combined with Job Demands; and (3) Triple Interaction of Demand, Resources, and Individuals. This study possesses both theoretical and practical significance in systematically examining green innovation behaviors at the individual level. Full article

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is transitioning from proof-of-concept prototypes to clinically utilized tools in orthopedics. The key translational question is whether AI will replace surgeons or, more realistically, augment human expertise. Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (completed 31 January 2026). Peer-reviewed English-language studies that utilized AI for orthopedic clinical problems were eligible. To synthesize the 73 included papers without forced quantitative pooling, evidence was qualitatively charted and organized using a four-axis framework: clinical task, data modality, validation maturity, and intended user/setting. Results: The evidence base was dominated by retrospective, imaging-centered AI studies (predominantly LOE III). Radiograph-based fracture detection and automated measurements were frequently reported to achieve high discrimination, though performance degraded in complex or “edge” cases. Predictive models for arthroplasty and spine outcomes demonstrated variable actionability and inconsistent reporting of calibration. Common translational barriers across subspecialties included limited external validation, dataset shift, and a scarcity of prospective impact studies. Conclusions: Current evidence supports an augmentation paradigm rather than a replacement paradigm. AI acts as a “co-surgeon,” improving triage and standardizing quantification. However, safe clinical translation requires representative external validation, rigorous failure analysis, and human-in-the-loop workflows where surgeons retain ultimate accountability. Full article

The last few decades have provided mounting evidence that dogs are not only able to behave in intelligent ways but also that they have the capacity to make inferences by associating visible and imagined events. In particular, the kinds of inferences shown by dogs elevate them to ‘Popperian animals’, which are rational in the sense of being able to conduct trials and errors in the head. Here, I review a selection of studies with dogs that fulfil this attribution. Dogs have been found capable of (a) making inferences by exclusion, with both computer images and word-object associations, (b) drawing inferences about the efficiency of the observed methods, the situational constraints of the situation, and the goals of the model in the course of selective (‘rational’) imitation, and (c) going beyond directly observable cues when inferring the intention, the knowledge, or even the beliefs of humans in perspective-taking tasks. Despite the contamination with ambiguous data, open questions, and current debates about the possession of (non-linguistic) mechanisms for creating mental representations of the mental states of others (called mind reading), we may safely assume that domesticated dogs have become Popperian animals equipped with the cognitive tool set of inferential thinking and perspective taking. Full article

Background: Periodontitis is a highly prevalent chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a complex host–microbe interaction and modulated by systemic regulatory pathways, including stress-related neuroendocrine and immunological mechanisms. Mind–body movement-based interventions such as yoga, tai chi, and qigong have demonstrated beneficial effects on stress and inflammation in general medicine, yet their relevance for periodontal health has not been systematically mapped. Methods: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Eligibility criteria included studies conducted in adult human participants examining mind–body movement-based interventions in relation to periodontal health. Sources of evidence comprised peer-reviewed studies identified through systematic searches in CINAHL, BIOSIS, Embase, PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and LIVIVO. Data were charted using a standardized extraction form capturing key study characteristics and outcomes. Eligible studies reported clinical periodontal parameters and/or biological or psychosocial outcomes related to stress or inflammation. Results: Eleven studies investigating mind–body movement-based interventions and periodontal health were included. Interventions comprised yoga, pranayama, tai chi, and qigong, with study designs ranging from one randomized controlled trial to non-randomized interventional and observational studies. Most studies reported clinical periodontal parameters and/or periodontal-related biological markers, including inflammatory, oxidative, and immune markers, and several also assessed stress-related outcomes. The interventions were applied both as adjuncts to conventional periodontal therapy and as stand-alone approaches. Overall, the included studies reported short-term changes in periodontal parameters and stress-related measures that were generally directed towards associated with improvement; however, long-term periodontal outcomes were rarely assessed. Conclusions: Mind–body movement-based interventions, such as yoga and pranayama, have been examined in relation to periodontal health, with studies reporting periodontal clinical parameters, biological markers, and stress-related outcomes. The available evidence is heterogeneous and largely limited to short-term observations. Further methodologically rigorous studies with standardized outcome measures and longer follow-up periods are needed to better characterize the relationship between mind–body interventions and their potential adjunctive relevance in periodontal care, as current evidence does not allow conclusions regarding their routine adjunctive use. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to examine how mindfulness and self-efficacy are associated with turnover intention among direct care workers through the hypothesized indirect pathways involving job stress and job satisfaction. Grounded in the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) and Conservation of Resources (COR) frameworks, the study highlights the buffering and protective functions of psychological resources under high job demands. Methods: A regression-based path analysis was conducted using data collected from a structured questionnaire survey of 967 direct care workers in southern Taiwan. Results: Job stress was positively associated with turnover intention (β = 0.599, p < 0.001), whereas job satisfaction was negatively associated with it (β = −0.139, p < 0.001). Self-efficacy was positively associated with job satisfaction (β = 0.407, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with job stress (β = −0.109, p < 0.001). Mindfulness demonstrated significant direct associations with self-efficacy (β = 0.497, p < 0.001) and job stress (β = −0.200, p < 0.001), but its direct effect on turnover intention was not significant (β = −0.035, p > 0.05), implying its influence is indirect through self-efficacy, job stress, and job satisfaction. Diagnostic checks, including the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), confirmed the absence of multicollinearity issues, and the overall model demonstrated satisfactory explanatory power. Conclusions: These findings enhance understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying turnover intention among care workers and provide practical implications for human resource management and workplace stress interventions in long-term care settings. Full article

Generally speaking, traditional theism has stressed God’s immutability as an aspect of his transcendent reality. By contrast, modern and postmodern thought foreground the highly mutable nature of the divine across time and place, reckoning God as just a subjective concept immanent in human minds without any objective referent. Here I outline a new kind of metamodern theology that would synthesize elements from these different paradigms, suggesting a God both mutable and immanent but also ontologically real in his own right. I call this a developmental, emergent, participatory theology of harmonization—or the DEPTH model for short. After unpacking the meaning of each of these elements individually, I show how they hang together as a coherent, naturalistic theological framework with promising new interpretative possibilities and suggest directions for future work. Full article

Background/Objectives: For centuries, humans have employed animal models to progress biomedical science, to understand pathological and biological processes, and to develop and test drugs, vaccines, and surgical techniques. In the field of urology, Sampaio and his colleagues from Brazil were the pioneers in proposing that the porcine model is the most accurate representation of the human kidney. We aim to describe the relevant urinary anatomy of female Landrace pigs based on endoscopy and computed tomography (CT) scans and compare differences between the urinary anatomy of pigs and humans. Methods: Four white Landrace female pigs were used for the study: two for CT imaging and two for endoscopic assessment. CT-urograms were performed using a 64-channel tomography machine with 0.625 mm thick slices. For the endoscopic procedure, the intravaginal urethral meatus was cannulated using a cystoscope, followed by complete urethrocystoscopy. The ureteric orifices were then cannulated, and a retrograde pyelogram was performed, followed by ureterorenoscopy. The analyses were performed using SPSS (Version 28), and simulated data was created using R (version 3.5.0), with the significance set at p ≤ 0.05. The data obtained from two pigs was used to simulate an empirical data with 500 observations, using the mean and standard deviations from our n = 2 to produce a random normal distribution. Results: CT and endoscopic findings showed two multirenculate multipapillate kidneys, each receiving blood supply from a single renal artery that is further divided into cranial and caudal branches. The delayed phase of the urogram showed distal ureters passing posterior to the bladder and emptying into the bladder at the base. Urethroscopy revealed an intravaginal urethral meatus ventral to the anus, positioned midway between the mucocutaneous junction of the vulva and the cervix. Endoscopic view of the bladder neck showing patulous ureteric orifices at the bladder neck with no distinct interureteric ridge or trigone. Retrograde pyelogram showed a Group B drainage pattern in both pigs. Conclusions: While there are numerous similarities between the urinary systems of humans and pigs, there are important subtle differences that urologists and researchers need to be mindful of before using the porcine model for urological research and training. Full article

This essay poses a novel integrative environmental health promotion (EHP) framework inclusive of spiritual tenets to increase interdisciplinary science as well as public engagement for improved people, place, and planetary (3P) health outcomes. Environmental public health professionals have typically relied upon quantitative scientific evidence related to negative human health outcomes from toxic exposures. Environmental health lags behind more progressive mixed-methods research frameworks leveraging health promotion and 3P health initiatives. This essay argues for a novel integrative EHP framework to encourage more mixed-methods research based on merging an integrative health (body-mind-spirit) perspective and the public health ecological model. Using a three-dimensional Cartesian Coordinate System, the author developed a visual integrative EHP framework with the future ability to record, interpret, and report data with units of measure in three dimensions rather than the traditional x- and y-axis variable relationships. The long-term goal is to engage researchers, study participants, and the general public in exploring new 3P health research and outcomes inclusive of the spiritual axis to leverage more scientific evidence for the care and nurturing of our common home as a basic tenet of civil society. Full article

In recent years, psychopharmacology has experienced a significant challenge, highlighting a renewed and strong scientific interest in psychedelics as breakthrough therapies for mental disorders. Psychedelics can influence cognitive and emotional processes, showing solid therapeutic potential, particularly in treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. Amongst the most promising compounds, ayahuasca and its main psychoactive component, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), have received considerable attention. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally prepared from the liana Banisteriopsis caapi and the leaves of Psychotria viridis. Its psychoactive properties derive mainly from DMT, while β-carbolines, which act as monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibitors, prevent the metabolic degradation of DMT, enhancing its bioavailability and allowing oral administration. In contrast, in monotherapy, DMT or its analog 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is generally administered via alternative routes, like inhalation, intranasal, or intravenous delivery. DMT is primarily a serotonin (5-HT)2A receptor partial agonist, whereas 5-MeO-DMT has a higher affinity for the 5-HT1A receptor compared to 5-HT2A, though other receptor targets are engaged, fostering neuroplasticity and a reorganization of brain networks involved in perception, cognition, and mood regulation. Despite limited clinical trials, current evidence offers an optimistic outlook on DMT and 5-MeO-DMT efficacy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), whereas evidence for other mental disorders studies is still preliminary. There are four phase II studies with 5-MeO-DMT and one with DMT for TRD, while there are two phase II studies with DMT fumarate for MDD. Beyond their therapeutic potential, psychedelics also represent powerful tools for exploring the human mind, offering valuable insights into brain function and mental health. Full article

Classical developmental psychology treats childhood animism—attributing life or mind to inanimate things—as a transient phase that recedes with schooling and the onset of concrete operations. The contemporary spread of lifelike AI has altered that background assumption, with particular implications for children and adolescents whose agency-detection systems and reality-testing capacities are still calibrating. Across interfaces, voices, avatars, and social robots, modern systems routinely exhibit contingent, context-sensitive behaviour that recruits developing social-cognitive systems during sensitive periods of identity formation and relational learning. Drawing on developmental psychology, cognitive science, human–AI interaction research, clinical psychiatry, and technology ethics, we: (1) present a mechanistic “hourglass model” showing how interactive AI engages animistic cognition with heightened effects during childhood and adolescence, including a developmental timing analysis of how differential maturation of agency detection, Theory of Mind (ToM), and prefrontal reality-testing creates windows of particular vulnerability; (2) disaggregate five distinct phenomena along an anthropomorphism-to-delusion trajectory with operational boundary criteria; (3) specify a graded psychopathology continuum with a fourth, orthogonal zone addressing adversarial design—itself disaggregated into three tiers with distinct regulatory implications; (4) identify conditions under which anthropomorphic engagement may be beneficial, including for youth; and (5) advance cognitive safety–inspired design with developmentally appropriate protections for minors. We introduce the IDAQ-CF-Tech, a twelve-item screener for AI-specific mind attribution offered as a provisional instrument for validation across age groups, and close with a phased research agenda emphasising longitudinal developmental outcomes, impacts on adolescent identity formation, and cross-cultural variation in techno-animism. Full article

Gary Snyder’s vision of the ‘great earth sangha’ articulates a philosophy of ecological awakening in which spiritual, ethical, and affective relationships connect all forms of life into a cohesive and sacred web of interbeing. The concept of the ‘great earth sangha’ embodies a profound sense of ‘oneness,’ in which the dichotomy between the self and the other dissolves, leading to a realisation of the Earth as a sentient, experiential, and pulsating entity. Inspired by the holistic perspectives of Buddhism and the resonances of Indigenous cosmologies, Snyder’s idea of the ‘great earth sangha’ represents a heightened consciousness and an “emotional intelligence” that fosters compassion, love, care and empathy for all beings in the world. For Snyder, the great earth sangha is a practice—a way of living in mindful ecological engagement. It is embedded with the principles of sila (morality), which foregrounds visions of harmonious coexistence and ecological kinship. This article argues that Snyder’s idea of the ‘great earth sangha’ offers a counter-anthropocentric perspective that subverts entrenched human-centred hierarchies by situating human identity within a communal web of existence. The article discusses how Snyder redefines the notion of ‘community’ as an inclusive, interdependent network that transcends human boundaries and embraces all planetary beings. Finally, the article explores how Snyder’s holistic vision propounds a restorative path that centres on ideas of ethics, affect, justice, responsibility and stewardship. Full article

This paper proposes a comparative model of “bidirectional transcendence” in Confucian thought by reading the concept of jing (敬) against two kinds of human finitude: “no-more” of being and “not-yet” of being. Drawing on philological analysis of classical lexemes, close readings of Song–Ming Neo-Confucian texts, and a comparison with Western accounts of religious and philosophical transcendence, I show that jing generates two complementary responses. The first is an outward, historicizing form of transcendence—embodied in “revering Heaven and following ancestors” (jingtian fazu 敬天法祖)—which secures communal meaning and a this-worldly continuity of ethical life in the face of the “no-more.” The second is an inward, realm-oriented transcendence—articulated in “being serious in order to straighten one’s inner life” (jing yi zhi nei 敬以直內)—realized through self-cultivation (gongfu 工夫) and the integration of mind and the principle of Heaven, and oriented toward the “not-yet.” This bidirectional framework reconciles readings that cast Confucianism as either purely ethical or essentially religious, clarifies recurring comparative and translational pitfalls, and offers a concise, textually grounded basis for Sino–Western dialogue about varieties of transcendence and ultimate concern. Full article

The rapid expansion of algorithmic systems has transformed cognition into an increasingly distributed and collective enterprise, giving rise to what can be described as cognitive assemblages, dynamic constellations of humans, institutions, data infrastructures, and artificial agents. This paper traces the historical and conceptual evolution that has led to this shift. First, we show how cognition, once conceived as the property of autonomous individuals, has progressively become embedded in socio-technical networks in which algorithmic processes participate as co-agents. Second, we revisit the progressive awareness of human cognitive limits, from bounded rationality to contemporary theories of extended mind. These frameworks anticipate and help explain today’s hybrid cognitive ecologies. Third, we assess the philosophical implications for Enlightenment ideals of autonomy, rationality, and self-governance, showing how these concepts must be reinterpreted in light of pervasive algorithmic intermediation. Finally, we examine global initiatives that seek to integrate augmented cognitive capacities into large-scale cybernetic forms of societal coordination, ranging from digital platforms and data spaces to AI-driven governance systems. These developments offer new opportunities for steering complex societies under conditions of globalization, environmental disruption, and the rise of autonomous intelligent systems, yet they also raise profound questions regarding control, accountability, and democratic legitimacy. We argue that understanding cognitive assemblages is essential to designing socio-technical systems capable of supporting collective intelligence while preserving human values in an era of accelerating complexity. Full article