Search Results (2,338)

Dissemination and conservation of cultural heritage have been challenged by continued accessibility in museums, where traditional information delivery systems are at times ineffective in terms if interaction with visitors. The current paper investigates RumiArt IA, a mobile application, to identify cultural objects in real-time, remaining fully in the scope of this line of research without relying on internet connectivity. The system, which is developed based on the Rumiñahui Museum and Cultural Center, Ecuador, uses transfer learning in the MobileNetV2 architecture with INT8 post-training quantization to identify 21 cultural artifacts spread across six thematic rooms. The experiment involved building a dataset of 36,000 images under diverse lighting conditions, viewing angles, and distances; furthermore, artificial transformations were explicitly crafted to simulate real museum conditions such as glass reflections and non-frontal capture angles. Quantization was used to reduce each model to 775 KB as compared with the 2.4 MB, with accuracy loss not reaching more than 0.5 percent (DKL < 0.05). Assessment of 9450 validation images yielded a general accuracy of 92.2%, with an inference time of 63 ms on current devices with a high throughput and 215 ms on mid-range hardware from 2020. Practical validation involving 50 visitors of the museum showed a success rate of 93.7%, with average user satisfaction at 8.5/10 and 87%, indicating they would recommend the application. An in-depth error study of the most difficult room (88.3% accuracy) indicated that 47% of the errors were due to the angles of the camera, which blocked out distinguishing features, and 22% were caused by display case reflections and the shadows of the visitors. These results indicate that end-to-end machine learning can provide consistent cultural heritage recognition in resource-constrained settings but its efficiency is susceptible to physical capture factors that cannot be resolved by data augmentation. Offline mode and low memory footprint (less than 90 MB when loaded on six models) of the system are especially relevant to application in situations where there is no guarantee of cloud connectivity. Full article

Brownfield-transformed urban parks, particularly those derived from industrial heritage, play a critical role in both cultural preservation and public-space provision. However, existing studies often rely on linear models and general urban contexts, limiting their ability to capture nonlinear, interaction-driven perception and translate analytical results into design-oriented insights. To address this gap, this study develops an interpretable data-driven framework integrating NLP (natural language processing) with explainable machine learning. Using social media reviews from Shougang Park in Beijing, built environmental elements are identified and structured into four dimensions—Accessibility, Safety, Comfort, and Enjoyment. An XGBoost model combined with SHAP analysis is employed to examine variable importance, nonlinear relationships, and interaction effects. The results reveal that visitor satisfaction is governed by heterogeneous and nonlinear relationships rather than independent additive effects. Several variables exhibit threshold-like, diminishing, and inverted-U-shaped patterns, indicating sensitivity to intensity ranges. More importantly, spatial perception emerges from the nonlinear coupling of multiple elements, forming four representative interaction types: compensatory, inverted-U-shaped, context-dependent, and threshold-like relationships. Key interactions are concentrated around industrial landscape, leisure activities, and supporting facilities. Building on these findings, the study translates interactions into design-oriented strategies, emphasizing synergistic configuration, functional balance, moderated development intensity, and context- sensitive programming. By linking interpretable machine learning with spatial design, this research advances an interaction-oriented paradigm and provides a transferable framework for satisfaction-informed evaluation and optimization of brownfields. Full article

Social Virtual Reality (VR) is emerging as a powerful medium for remote social interaction and collaboration, enabling multiple users to share experiences together while apart. Likewise, recent advances in multimedia technologies have proposed strategically combining diverse content formats and introducing interaction techniques for recreating virtual environments and engaging with them, respectively. This study pioneers the joint exploration of Social VR enhanced with holographic communication, multimodal content integration, and advanced interaction methods to deliver realistic and interactive group visits to reconstructed cultural heritage sites, specifically an existing restaurant–museum. The reconstructed space is further augmented with Points of Interest (PoIs), which can be freely visited and dynamically activated to provide rich contextual and historical information about the venue. The proposed technology and scenario have been evaluated objectively and subjectively. Results from objective tests offer relevant insights into the technical requirements, performance metrics (including bandwidth usage and latency), and overall system stability. Results from subjective tests with 22 participant pairs reveal high levels of user satisfaction, particularly in terms of immersion, presence, togetherness, and interaction quality regardless of whether participants acted as Guides (interacting with the VR environment) or Followers (observing and following the Guide’s actions). Beyond demonstrating feasibility, the findings from this study prove, for the first time, how strategically combining multi-user holoportation with multimodal content and role-based interactions can enable guided, collaborative cultural or touristic visits that preserve social presence while supporting rich exploration and contextual learning. Full article

This study aimed to explore athletes’ experiences of transitioning out of sport following spinal cord injury (SCI). Using a multiple-case study design, three former nondisabled competitive athletes participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The participants’ interview responses were informed by quantitative measure data collected prior to the interviews using the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, the Social Support Questionnaire-6, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that participants experienced a range of cognitive, emotional, social, and behavioral influences during the transition process. These influences contributed to outcome-related appraisals of post-SCI transition. Balanced self-identity, adaptive sport participation, and peer-mentor relationships were common factors influencing athletes’ transition with spinal cord injury. The results partially support the conceptual model of adaptation to career transition and extend it to account for athletes’ experiences following SCI. The results also benefit rehabilitation professionals and athletes with spinal cord injury by providing insight into psychosocial factors and resources that may influence the transition experience. Full article

Background: Percutaneous needle fasciotomy has been practiced for many years as a therapeutic alternative to open fasciectomy in Dupuytren’s disease. In addition to collagenase injection, it has established itself as a minimally invasive procedure in everyday clinical practice. This study analyzes the treatment results of 1146 patients. Methods: Patients at a center for needle fasciotomy were surveyed retrospectively by means of a questionnaire. In addition to previous illnesses and the localization and number of affected fingers, the frequency of recurrences, the need for renewed treatment, and satisfaction with the surgical result were also surveyed. Results: Between 1994 and 2012, 1146 patients with 1803 finger rays were treated and their data analyzed on the basis of records. In addition, a questionnaire survey on patient satisfaction was conducted and 174 questionnaires were analyzed. Overall, 83% of the patients were male and 16% female. In 50% of cases the right side was treated, in 45% of cases the left side (5% unknown), while 46% of the finger rays treated were on the little finger and ring finger. In all but one case, an improvement in the contracture was achieved. Complications included skin tears (264 cases), increased swelling (five cases), hypesthesia (one case), flexor tendon rupture (four cases) and a mid-limb base fracture (one case). The mean operation time was 26.9 min, the duration of pain was 2.7 days, and patient satisfaction on a scale of 1–10 was 7.2. Overall, 77% of patients stated that there had been a further deterioration or recurrence within one year of treatment, and 35% of these patients stated that further treatment was necessary. Conclusions: Needle fasciotomy is a safe and effective method with a low complication rate, but targeted and stringent follow-up treatment is necessary, as is information about possible recurrences or further deterioration of the result. Full article

As digital transformation accelerates, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a central driver of social media ecosystems. Drawing on Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) and Consumer–Brand Relationship Theory, this study employs a quantitative research design based on questionnaire data and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine how AI-empowered social media functionalities influence the sustainability of consumer–brand relationships among Generation Z. The analysis incorporates key constructs, including AI-empowered functionalities, user engagement behaviors (information seeking, social interaction, and content co-creation), flow experience, user satisfaction, brand loyalty, and brand value co-creation. The results indicate that AI-empowered social media applications significantly enhance user engagement behaviors. However, user engagement does not directly affect consumer–brand relationship outcomes; instead, its influence operates indirectly through flow experience and user satisfaction. Notably, flow experience emerges as a critical mediating mechanism linking AI-empowered user engagement to both brand loyalty and brand value co-creation. This research provides empirical evidence for the development of sustainable consumer–brand relationships in AI-empowered social media environments and offers practical insights for fashion brands to optimize their social media strategies when targeting Generation Z users. Full article

Reducing food waste and promoting green consumption have emerged as critical priorities in the transition toward a more sustainable food system. Purchasing near-expired food (NEF) offers a pathway to address both issues simultaneously, yet the mechanisms underlying consumers’ intentions toward such products remain underexplored. This research investigates these mechanisms through two complementary studies conducted in China, focusing on near-expired bread as a representative product category. Study 1 (N = 1154) draws on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework to examine how key factors shape consumers’ purchase intentions toward near-expired bread. The results show that price discounts and longer remaining shelf life increase purchase intentions by enhancing perceived value and reducing perceived risk. Moreover, consumers’ normative beliefs with regard to food waste avoidance positively predict purchase intentions through heightened moral satisfaction. Study 2 (N = 746) employs a 2 × 3 between-subjects factorial experiment to test two types of retail interventions for near-expired bread: discount messages (50% vs. 10% off) and information framing (gain-framed vs. loss-framed). Extending Study 1, this experiment introduces two additional dependent variables—product attitudes and perceived environmental external benefits—to capture a broader range of consumer responses. ANCOVA results reveal that consumers with higher environmental concern exhibit stronger purchase intentions, more favorable product attitudes, and greater perceived environmental external benefits. Price discount messages significantly influence purchase intentions and product attitudes, whereas information framing affects purchase intentions and environmental external benefits. Notably, the two interventions interact to shape consumers’ perceptions of environmental external benefits. Together, these studies advance a comprehensive understanding of near-expired bread purchases and offer empirical guidance for designing effective retail communication strategies to promote green consumption and reduce food waste. Full article

Based on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) framework, this study explored the psychological spillover mechanism through which tourism experiences in Museum Agglomeration Areas (MAAs) enhance city image and influence behavioral intentions. Structural equation modeling (SEM) based on survey data yielded several key findings. First, information visibility, content visibility, and the quality of amenities and the operational environment played critical roles in shaping tourists’ internal states, including perceived experiential value, affective response, immersion, and satisfaction. In addition, the social atmosphere emerged as an important factor in enriching these evaluations. Second, accessibility and connectivity were identified as factors that reduce friction along the visitor journey, thereby enhancing experiential continuity and immersion. Third, experiential value and immersion were found to be the primary mediators among the internal-state variables, transmitting the effects of environmental stimuli to city-level perceptions and behavioral intentions, such as revisit and recommendation intentions. These findings suggest that the competitiveness of MAAs lies not merely in spatial agglomeration itself but also in their ability to provide engaging and meaningful content, maintain safe and enjoyable operational environments, and develop integrated circulation and information systems. By conceptualizing MAAs as sites of district-scale tourism experiences, this study extends the application of the S–O–R framework to a multi-site urban cultural context and clarifies how differentiated internal states mediate the spillover from district experience to city-level perceptions and behavioral intentions. Rather than proposing a fundamentally new theoretical framework, the study offers a context-specific refinement of the organism layer and provides empirically grounded implications for design and operational strategies in culturally clustered urban districts. Full article

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and traditional word of mouth (WOM-T) are key information channels in consumer decisions, but there are still gaps in integrative models that analyze both channels simultaneously in emerging contexts. This exploratory, theory-informed study proposes a conceptual model that articulates five antecedents—satisfaction, trust, emotional bond, openness to novelty, and perceived social influence—two mediators—consumer engagement and recommendation intention—and two outcome behaviors—eWOM and traditional WOM—to examine how these variables are associated with the generation of recommendations among young/internet-connected consumers of SME services in the Lambayeque Region, Peru. Using PLS-SEM with 380 participants, 25 structural hypotheses were evaluated, including direct effects and simple and sequential mediations. In this non-probability sample, the hypothesized associations were statistically supported: antecedents were positively associated with engagement, which was positively associated with recommendation intention, which in turn predicted both online and offline WOM behaviors. Emotional bond and trust showed particularly strong effects. The model explained between 49% and 64% of the variance in endogenous variables. The findings contribute to understanding word-of-mouth dynamics in emerging markets for the studied segment of digitally connected consumers, with implications for relational marketing strategies and SDGs 8 and 12. Importantly, the contribution to SDG 12 is conditional: word-of-mouth can also amplify unsustainable consumption when recommendations are not linked to responsible practices; this caveat should be considered when interpreting the sustainability implications of these findings. Full article

The manual handling of poultry is an essential part of raising and caring for birds. The different manual catching methods have various impacts on the bird’s welfare and health, the well-being and work satisfaction of the people who are handling the birds, and the economic and logistical requirements of everyone involved. The traditional approach of using the Five Freedoms for investigating animal well-being has been amended with animal-based measures (ABMs) as well as the evaluation of five welfare domains, which consider the subjective response of an animal towards its environment. The assessment of single individual animal welfare parameters without context can be non-specific, only partially informative, or even misleading when considered in isolation. The objective measurement of suitable parameters for the evaluation of the various steps of poultry catching and transport is complex and should be carried out in a differentiated manner. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the manual catching of poultry, with special focus on the upright and inverted handling of chicken and current considerations in Europe. The implementation of consistent, transparent, and traceable central data collection on animal health and welfare at various critical control points of bird transportation would allow systematic evaluation of the multifactorial welfare assessment in the future. Full article

Pyrolysis of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) is a promising waste-to-energy route, but its use in higher-value applications remains limited by tar carryover, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), heteroatom-containing compounds, and pollutant accumulation in recirculated scrubber water. This study evaluated operating windows for RDF pyrolysis coupled with direct wet scrubbing and closed-loop water reuse, with the aim of identifying regimes suitable for different end-use tiers. A Taguchi L27 design of experiments (DOE), i.e., an orthogonal array comprising 27 experimental runs, was applied to evaluate the effects of pyrolysis temperature, residence time, scrubber liquid-to-gas ratio, and scrubber-water temperature, while sequential reuse of the same scrubber-water inventory was evaluated at 5, 10, and 15 cycles. Cleaned-gas pollutants were quantified by compound-resolved gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) after solid-phase adsorption (SPA) sampling, while phenolics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in scrubber water were determined by extraction followed by GC–MS. Feasibility within each end-use tier was defined as simultaneous satisfaction of tier-specific cleaned-gas thresholds (C_tar, C_BTEX, I_N, and I_S) and the corresponding water-loop hazard limit (I_tox), using literature-informed engineering screening criteria. The results showed that stronger scrubbing reduced gas-phase tar and BTEX burdens, whereas extended water reuse caused systematic accumulation of phenolics and PAHs and increased the composite water-loop hazard index. Boiler-grade operation remained feasible across a broad operating range, with 23 of the 27 tested conditions remaining robust, whereas internal combustion engine combined heat and power (ICE-CHP) feasibility was restricted to a narrow robust regime, and no robust microturbine-grade condition was identified. These findings show that operating windows for RDF pyrolysis must be defined jointly by gas cleanliness and water-loop management constraints. Full article

Tourist congestion and load imbalance during peak periods pose critical challenges to the safe operation and experience assurance of large scenic areas. To address the limitations of traditional management approaches in capturing the dynamic and stochastic nature of tourist flows, this study develops a dynamic visitor guidance modeling and analysis framework based on a Timed Petri Net. The proposed model provides a formal representation of tourist movements, scenic spot load evolution, and guidance decision mechanisms within a scenic area. Under unified parameter settings and controlled random conditions, multiple visitor guidance strategies with different information coverage scopes are designed, and minute-level simulation experiments are conducted using the Huangshan Scenic Area as a case study. The simulation results show that, compared with unguided tourist flows, the proposed strategies significantly reduce average load levels, alleviate spatial load imbalance, and enhance TS. Using mean–standard deviation analysis, distributional analysis, and dynamic evolution analysis, differences among guidance strategies in terms of load control, visitor experience, and operational stability are systematically evaluated. Furthermore, a quantitative relationship model between tourist satisfaction and scenic area load is constructed, revealing a consistent inverted-U pattern. Robustness tests under multiple random seeds indicate that the main conclusions are not sensitive to specific stochastic realizations. Overall, the simulation results suggest that dynamic visitor guidance may improve load control, visitor experience, and system stability by optimizing the spatiotemporal distribution of tourist flows, thereby providing simulation-based quantitative insights for peak-period management in large scenic areas. Full article

Background/Objectives: The Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) scale is one of the most widely used instruments to assess perceived parental competence, understood as the degree to which parents feel capable of adequately fulfilling their parental role. Despite its widespread use, studies seeking to determine PSOC normative scores are scarce, especially in specific populations such as mothers with infants younger than 9 months, which limits the interpretation of its scores in applied contexts. This study establishes PSOC normative scores in a nonclinical sample of 522 Spanish mothers with infants aged between 3 and 37 weeks who attended a public early intervention program. Methods: Regression and ANOVA analyses were performed to examine the effect of infant and maternal age, as well as educational level and occupation, on the dimensions of Efficacy, Satisfaction, and Total score of the PSOC. Results: The results show a significant decline in parental competence starting when their infants reach 9 months of age, and lower levels of self-efficacy in mothers over 35 years of age. No significant differences were found according to the educational level or occupation of the mothers. Normative scores are presented by percentiles, offering specific criteria for this stage of child development. Z- and T-scores are included, useful for standardized comparisons between subscale and studies. Conclusions: These findings provide useful information for early detection and psychoeducational interventions within the framework of early intervention. Full article

Background/Objectives: Although digital workflows for complete denture fabrication are increasingly implemented in clinical practice, randomized controlled pilot trials directly comparing their clinical performance and patient satisfaction with conventional complete dentures (CCDs) remain scarce. This study aimed to compare patient satisfaction and clinical effectiveness between conventionally and digitally fabricated complete dentures (DCDs). Methods: In the present exploratory randomized controlled clinical pilot study using a cross-over design, 15 edentulous patients received both a conventionally fabricated and a digitally fabricated complete denture in randomized order. Each denture was worn for a three-month adaptation period. Patients were blinded to the fabrication method. Oral health-related quality of life was assessed using the OHIP-G49 questionnaire, and clinical performance was evaluated using standardized criteria at baseline, after three months with the first denture, and after three months with the second denture. Results: Both fabrication methods yielded satisfactory clinical outcomes in all patients. All 15 patients rated the DCDs as highly satisfactory, while 14 patients rated the CCDs equally favorably; one patient was unable to tolerate the conventional denture. DCDs demonstrated a slight but consistent advantage in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) scores. Conclusions: Both conventional and digital complete dentures are clinically effective and well accepted by edentulous patients. However, DCDs offer a modest improvement in patient satisfaction and OHRQoL. Digitally fabricated complete dentures provide comparable clinical results to conventional methods while offering potential advantages in patient comfort and perceived quality of life. Given the exploratory nature of the study and the limited sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution and primarily serve to inform future, adequately powered randomized clinical trials. Full article

Telemedicine can address access barriers in childhood obesity management by supporting continuity of care and caregiver engagement. This randomized controlled trial compared a telemedicine-based program with guideline-based usual care among 70 children with obesity (aged 5–15 years) and their caregivers, randomized to telemedicine (n = 35) or usual care (n = 35) for 6 months. The telemedicine program included online consultations, digital caregiver education, remote monitoring, and secure messaging via the SUTH application integrated with the hospital information system. The control group received standard outpatient care with routine counseling and printed materials; baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable between groups. After 6 months, both groups showed modest reductions in BMI; however, ANCOVA-adjusted analyses indicated no significant between-group difference in post-intervention BMI. Weight-for-height decreased in both groups, with a slightly greater percentage reduction in the telemedicine group. Caregiver satisfaction and knowledge were significantly higher in the telemedicine group at follow-up (all p < 0.01; knowledge p < 0.001). These findings suggest that telemedicine-based care may contribute to modest improvements in anthropometric outcomes while substantially enhancing caregiver knowledge and healthcare service satisfaction, supporting its role as a scalable adjunct in pediatric obesity management. Full article