Search Results (545)

This research examines the impact of the project ‘Development of Science Experiential Education Programs and Science Experiential Centres’, implemented by the Mobilis Science Center in Győr between 2017 and 2021. The professional and societal relevance of the program and research lies in the growing importance of STEM disciplines and careers worldwide in recent decades, ensuring a long-term supply of skilled workers. A vital tool for this is the development of curricula that meet the needs of the 21st century, as well as the innovation of teaching methods in science subjects. The research involves a review of the literature on experiential science teaching and subject attitudes, the role of science centers, and relevant project documents. The present research, involving 592 students, focused on attitudes toward technology and science, openness to STEM careers, and the experiences and memories of participants in the student lab theme days. The results of the statistical data analyses confirm the effectiveness of the experiential education methods used in the theme day sessions, as the students’ openness to STEM careers is higher for those who participated in the sessions compared to the non-participants. There are significant differences in the attitudes of girls and boys participating in the program toward science subjects. The results suggest that the success in stimulating interest in science was mainly due to the experiential nature of the sessions. Moreover, the research found that the project led to the strengthening of the participants’ personal and social skills. This study is the first to look at the impact of the project. The results shed light on how teaching STEM subjects using experiential pedagogical methods can contribute to the long-term effectiveness of Széchenyi István University’s enrollment efforts and lead to the economic success of companies in a region facing a significant labor shortage in STEM careers. Full article

Haematococcus pluvialis and Porphyridium cruentum are red microalgae with high biotechnological potential due to their rich composition of bioactive compounds. However, their intense flavor limits their application in food products. This study evaluated the impact of fermentation with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (30 °C for 48 h; LAB-to-biomass ratio of 0.1:1; 10⁶ CFU/mL) on the physicochemical and functional properties of H. pluvialis and P. cruentum biomasses. Particular attention was given to antioxidant activity (ABTS and ORAC assays), color, amino acid profiles, and volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles, all of which may influence sensory characteristics. Results demonstrated that non-fermented H. pluvialis exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity (AA) than P. cruentum. After fermentation, H. pluvialis showed an ABTS value of 3.22 ± 0.35 and an ORAC value of 54.32 ± 1.79 µmol TE/100 mg DW, while P. cruentum showed an ABTS of 0.26 ± 0.00 and an ORAC of 3.11 ± 0.13 µmol TE/100 mg DW. Total phenolic content (TPC) of fermented H. pluvialis and P. cruentum was 1.08 ± 0.23 and 0.18 ± 0.026 mg GAE/100 mg DW, respectively. Both AA and TPC increased after fermentation. Fermentation also significantly affected biomass color. FTIR analysis showed intensification of protein and carbohydrate vibrational bands post-fermentation. GC-MS analysis of VOCs showed that P. cruentum contained 42 VOCs before fermentation, including trans-β-ionone, 4-ethyl-6-hepten-3-one, hexanal, and heptadienal, which are responsible for fishy and algal odors. Fermentation with Lb. plantarum significantly reduced these compounds, lowering trans-β-ionone to 0.1453 mg/L and eliminating 4-ethyl-6-hepten-3-one entirely. H. pluvialis contained 22 VOCs pre-fermentation; fermentation eliminated hexanal and reduced heptadienal to 0.1747 ± 0.0323 mg/L. These changes contributed to improved sensory profiles. Fermentation also induced significant changes in the amino acid profiles of both microalgae. The fermented biomasses were incorporated into vegan burgers made from chickpea, lentil, and quinoa. Color evaluation showed more stable and visually appealing tones, while texture remained within desirable consumer parameters. These findings suggest that Lb. plantarum fermentation is an effective strategy for improving the sensory and functional characteristics of microalgal biomass, promoting their use as sustainable, value-added ingredients in innovative plant-based foods. Full article

This study introduces a novel platform, the Artificial Intelligence of Things Experimental Device Platform (AIoTEDP), to evaluate the durability of eyelash extensions under various environmental factors, including temperature, wind speed, and compression frequency. The experiment employs a three-factor full factorial design, utilizing LabVIEW to collect and analyze independent variables. The retention rate of eyelash extensions is the dependent variable for evaluating the durability. The proposed AIoTEDP regulates thermostats, stepper motors, and heating fans to simulate real-world eyelash extension usage conditions. Quantitative analyses are performed through visual assessments and image recognition technologies. The experimental results indicate that high temperatures and strong winds significantly reduce the durability of eyelash extensions. However, moderate bending damage (3000 repetitions) still allows for sufficient retention. This study validates the practicality and accuracy of the proposed AIoTEDP, showcasing its potential for innovative cosmetic testing systems to assess eyelash extension durability. Full article

Wearable and implantable Lab-on-Chip (LoC) biosensors are revolutionizing healthcare by enabling continuous, real-time monitoring of physiological and biochemical parameters in non-clinical settings. These miniaturized platforms integrate sample handling, signal transduction, and data processing on a single chip, facilitating early disease detection, personalized treatment, and preventive care. This review comprehensively explores recent advancements in LoC biosensing technologies, emphasizing their application in skin-mounted patches, smart textiles, and implantable devices. Key innovations in biocompatible materials, nanostructured transducers, and flexible substrates have enabled seamless integration with the human body, while fabrication techniques such as soft lithography, 3D printing, and MEMS have accelerated development. The incorporation of nanomaterials significantly enhances sensitivity and specificity, supporting multiplexed and multi-modal sensing. We examine critical application domains, including glucose monitoring, cardiovascular diagnostics, and neurophysiological assessment. Design considerations related to biocompatibility, power management, data connectivity, and long-term stability are also discussed. Despite promising outcomes, challenges such as biofouling, signal drift, regulatory hurdles, and public acceptance remain. Future directions focus on autonomous systems powered by AI, hybrid wearable–implantable platforms, and wireless energy harvesting. This review highlights the transformative potential of LoC biosensors in shaping the future of smart, patient-centered healthcare through continuous, minimally invasive monitoring. Full article

Indigenous Mexican fermented beverages, such as pulque, colonche, tepache, and water kefir, are pillars of the country’s cultural and gastronomic heritage. Their sensory attributes and health-promoting properties arise from complex microbial consortia, in which lactic acid bacteria (LAB), mainly Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc, acetic acid bacteria (AAB), primarily Acetobacter, and yeasts such as Saccharomyces and Candida interact and secrete exopolysaccharides (EPSs). Dextran, levan, and heteropolysaccharides rich in glucose, galactose, and rhamnose have been consistently isolated from these beverages. EPSs produced by LAB enhance the viscosity and mouthfeel, extend the shelf life, and exhibit prebiotic, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities that support gut and immune health. Beyond food, certain EPSs promote plant growth, function as biocontrol agents against phytopathogens, and facilitate biofilm-based bioremediation, underscoring their biotechnological potential. This review integrates recent advances in the composition, biosynthetic pathways, and functional properties of microbial EPSs from Mexican fermented beverages. We compare reported titers, outline key enzymes, including dextransucrase, levansucrase, and glycosyltransferases, and examine how fermentation variables (the substrate, pH, and temperature) influence the polymer yield and structure. Finally, we highlight emerging applications that position these naturally occurring biopolymers as sustainable ingredients for food and agricultural innovation. Full article

Sustainability research in Living Labs promises innovation through real-world experimentation. These settings require the integration of key design principles—such as participation, co-creation, and real-life application—into everyday research. Yet collaboration among diverse actors is often accompanied by persistent tensions and conflicts. This study examines a Living Lab project embedded in the net-zero transformation of a corporate city. It focuses on identifying and explaining key challenges in the daily collaboration between academic and non-academic actors, as well as the strategies used to cope with them. Following a qualitative approach, data were generated through twenty in-depth interviews and participant observations. We identify uncertainties, frustrations, overload, tensions, conflicts, and disengagement as recurring reactions in transdisciplinary collaboration. These are traced back to the following five underlying proto-challenges: (1) divergent interpretations of Living Lab concepts, (2) conflicting views on sustainability interventions, (3) difficulties in role positioning, (4) processes of instrumentalisation and over-identification, and (5) the embedded complexities of Living Lab governance. By linking these findings to Institutional Theory and Paradox Theory, we argue that the proto-challenges are not merely contingent barriers but constitutive tensions—implicitly inscribed into the normative design of Living Lab research and essential to engage with for advancing collaborative sustainability efforts. Full article

Urban Living Labs (ULLs) are pivotal for promoting socio-technical innovation in smart cities, yet their role in achieving sustainable urban development remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a systematic literature review (SLR) to develop effective implementation strategies. Unlike previous studies focusing on individual aspects of these labs, our holistic approach emphasizes the orchestration of actors and innovative experiment design to co-create value with citizens. By addressing specific issues in current smart city practices—such as the misalignment between technology and community needs and among stakeholders, limited citizen engagement, and the lack of iterative testing environments—the study explores practical strategies for improvement. The proposed strategies illustrate how Urban Living Labs can serve as essential platforms for achieving sustainable and inclusive urban growth through effective socio-technical innovation integration. Full article

This study offers the first systematic exploration of the Greek e-Government team, a public sector innovation unit that operated within the Office of the Prime Minister of Greece from 2009 to 2012—the sole example of such a unit in the country. It illustrates how strategically positioned innovation units can function as change agents within government bureaucracies. The purpose of this work was to analyze how this distinctive unit functioned by bridging policy formulation, legislative drafting, and technological implementation at the highest government levels. The research involved thematic analysis of original interviews conducted with most core members of the team. The findings highlight successes, notably the Diavgeia transparency platform, which markedly improved administrative transparency, accountability, and citizen access to government decisions. Important challenges were also identified, particularly regarding the sustainability of the unit, issues of institutionalization, and meaningful citizen engagement. The experience of the Greek e-Government team suggests that public sector innovation (PSI) units are most effective when they combine high-level political access with multidisciplinary expertise and operational flexibility. The analysis also reveals inherent tensions between the need for centralized coordination and the benefits of decentralized implementation, as well as challenges in maintaining citizen participation throughout the policy development process. Full article

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has evolved from a breakthrough ophthalmologic imaging tool into a cornerstone technology in interventional cardiology. After its initial applications in retinal imaging in the early 1990s, OCT was subsequently envisioned for cardiovascular use. In 1995, its ability to visualize atherosclerotic plaques was demonstrated in an in vitro study, and the following year marked the acquisition of the first in vivo OCT image of a human coronary artery. A major milestone followed in 2000, with the first intracoronary imaging in a living patient using time-domain OCT. However, the real inflection point came in 2006 with the advent of frequency-domain OCT, which dramatically improved acquisition speed and image quality, enabling safe and routine imaging in the catheterization lab. With the advent of high-resolution, second-generation frequency-domain systems, OCT has become clinically practical and widely adopted in catheterization laboratories. OCT progressively entered interventional cardiology, first proving its safety and feasibility, then demonstrating superiority over angiography alone in guiding percutaneous coronary interventions and improving outcomes. Today, it plays a central role not only in clinical practice but also in cardiovascular research, enabling precise assessment of plaque biology and response to therapy. With the advent of artificial intelligence and hybrid imaging systems, OCT is now evolving into a true precision-medicine tool—one that not only guides today’s therapies but also opens new frontiers for discovery, with vast potential still waiting to be explored. Tracing its historical evolution from ophthalmology to cardiology, this narrative review highlights the key technological milestones, clinical insights, and future perspectives that position OCT as an indispensable modality in contemporary interventional cardiology. As a guiding thread, the myth of Prometheus is used to symbolize the evolution of OCT—from its illuminating beginnings in ophthalmology to its transformative role in cardiology—as a metaphor for how light, innovation, and knowledge can reveal what was once hidden and redefine clinical practice. Full article

Educational institutions are facing a crisis characterized by the need to address diverse learning styles and vocational aspirations, exacerbated by ongoing financial pressures. To navigate these challenges effectively, there is an urgent need to innovate educational practices and learning environments, ensuring they are adaptable and responsive to the evolving needs of students and the workforce. The adoption of the Industry 5.0 framework offers a promising solution, providing a holistic approach that emphasizes the integration of human creativity and advanced technologies to transform educational institutions into resilient, human-centric, and sustainable learning environments. In this context, this article presents a transdisciplinary methodology that integrates Asset Management (AM) with Social Innovation (SI) through Design Thinking (DT) to co-design Educational Facilities 5.0 with stakeholders. The application of the proposed approach in an AgroLab case study—a food and agricultural laboratory—demonstrates how the methodology enables the definition of an Educational Facility 5.0 and generates AM Design Knowledge to support informed decision-making in the subsequent design, implementation, and operation phases. Following DT principles—where knowledge emerges through iterative experimentation and insights from practical applications—this article also discusses the role of SI and DT in AM, the role of Large Language Models in convergent processes, and a vision for Educational Facilities 5.0. Full article

Achieving state-of-the-art performance (82.5% IoU, 85.6% F1), this paper proposes an enhanced DeepLabV3+ model for robust underwater crack detection through three integrated innovations: a physics-based light propagation correction model for illumination distortion, multi-scale feature extraction for variable crack dimensions, and curvature flow-guided loss for boundary precision. Our approach significantly outperforms DeepLabV3+, SCTNet, and LarvSeg by 10.6–13.4% IoU, demonstrating particular strength in detecting small cracks (78.1% IoU) under challenging low-light/high-turbidity conditions. The solution provides a practical framework for automated underwater infrastructure inspection. Full article

The use of augmented reality (AR) tools and innovative learning environments in education have increased over the last few years due to the rapid advancement of technology. In this study, an AR mathematics learning intervention has been proposed which consisted of the creation of 3D multibase blocks to perform AR arithmetic calculations conducted through active methodologies in the future classroom lab (FCL). The aim of this study was to analyze pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) affective domain (emotion, self-efficacy, and attitude), engagement, motivation, and confidence. The sample consisted of 97 PSTs enrolled on the second year of the Primary Education degree, who were attending the “Mathematics and its Didactics” subject. The findings revealed a significant increase in PSTs’ satisfaction, fun, confidence, and pride, and a decrease in uncertainty, nervousness, and concern. Regarding PSTs’ self-efficacy, a significant improvement was observed in knowing the necessary steps to teach mathematical concepts and work in the FCL. No significant differences were found in attitude, engagement, and motivation; however, the PSTs showed a high disposition in all of them before starting the intervention. Additionally, the PSTs reported to be more confident, and it enhanced their knowledge in the use of 3D design and AR applications to create multibase blocks to support the teaching–learning content of arithmetic operations. Full article

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) present a significant global health challenge, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The current diagnostic standard involves the microscopic examination of a stool smear but it lacks sensitivity to detect infections of low intensity. Innovative solutions like lab-on-a-disk (LoD) technologies are emerging, showing promise in detecting low-intensity infections. Field tests conducted using our SIMPAQ (single-image parasite quantification) LoD device have demonstrated its potential as a diagnostic tool, especially for such low-intensity infections. Nevertheless, the device’s efficiency has been limited by significant egg loss during sample preparation, low capture efficiency of eggs within the Field of View (FOV), and the presence of larger fecal debris that obstructs effective egg trapping and imaging. In this study, we conducted a set of laboratory experiments using model polystyrene particles and purified STH eggs to improve the sample preparation protocol. These experiments include the entire SIMPAQ procedure starting from sample preparation, infusing it into the LoD device, centrifugation, delivering the (model) eggs to the FOV, capturing an image, and analyzing it. We analyzed egg losses at each step of the procedure following the “standard” protocol, then elaborated and tested alternative, more efficient procedures. The resulting modified protocol significantly minimized particle and egg loss and reduced the amount of debris in the disk, thus enabling effective egg capture and clear images in the FOV, increasing the reliability of the diagnostic results. Full article

Photocuring, including photopolymerization and photocrosslinking, has emerged as a transformative manufacturing paradigm that enables the precise, rapid, and customizable fabrication of advanced battery components. This review first introduces the principles of photocuring and vat photopolymerization and their unique advantages of high process efficiency, non-contact fabrication, ambient-temperature processing, and robust interlayer bonding. It then systematically summarizes photocured battery components, involving electrolytes, membranes, anodes, and cathodes, highlighting their design strategies. This review examines the impact of photocured materials on the battery’s properties, such as its conductivity, lithium-ion transference number, and mechanical strength, while examining how vat-photopolymerization-derived 3D architectures optimize ion transport and electrode–electrolyte integration. Finally, it discusses current challenges and future directions for photocuring-based battery manufacturing, emphasizing the need for specialized energy storage resins and scalable processes to bridge lab-scale innovations with industrial applications. Full article

Governance challenges, success factors, and stakeholder dynamics are central to the implementation of Positive Energy District (PED) Labs, which aim to develop energy-positive and sustainable urban areas. In this paper, a qualitative analysis combining expert surveys, participatory workshops with practitioners from the COST Action PED-EU-NET network, and comparative case studies across Europe identifies key barriers, drivers, and stakeholder roles throughout the implementation process. Findings reveal that fragmented regulations, social inertia, and limited financial mechanisms are the main barriers to PED Lab development, while climate change mitigation goals, strong local networks, and supportive policy frameworks are critical drivers. The analysis maps stakeholder engagement across six development phases, showing how leadership shifts between governments, industry, planners, and local communities. PED Labs require intangible assets such as inclusive governance frameworks, education, and trust-building in the early phases, while tangible infrastructures become more relevant in later stages. The conclusions emphasize that robust, inclusive governance is not merely supportive but a key driver of PED Lab success. Adaptive planning, participatory decision-making, and digital coordination tools are essential for overcoming systemic barriers. Scaling PED Labs effectively requires regulatory harmonization and the integration of social and technological innovation to accelerate the transition toward energy-positive, climate-resilient cities. Full article