Search Results (926)

This study explores how teachers’ work sustainability is shaped through everyday governance practices within private higher education institutions in China. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, the analysis draws on long-term fieldwork and in-depth interviews with teachers, administrators, leaders, and students from two private colleges. The findings suggest that teachers’ difficulties do not stem from isolated adverse incidents, but rather from an ongoing organizational process embedded in routine management practices. Evaluation-centered promotion systems, relationship-based governance, and data-driven oversight interact to restructure how teaching work is organized, recognized, and assessed. Professional contributions are frequently treated as negotiable outcomes subject to managerial discretion, while informal alignment practices and selective monitoring gradually narrow teachers’ space for professional judgment and initiative. Despite accumulating dissatisfaction, most teachers remain in their positions. Occupational identity, social expectations, and constrained labor mobility limit realistic exit options, transforming short-term accommodation into prolonged endurance. In this context, teacher retention reflects not organizational stability, but the persistence of governance conditions that challenge the long-term sustainability of teachers’ work. By examining how routine management practices gradually reshape teachers’ work, this study highlights an overlooked dimension of sustainability in higher education: the long-term viability of teachers’ professional lives within existing governance arrangements. Unlike studies that conceptualize teachers’ difficulties through the lens of workplace bullying or interpersonal conflict, this study focuses on how ordinary governance practices shape long-term work sustainability without overt confrontation. Full article

Artificial intelligence transforms lubricant research by linking molecular modeling, diagnostics, and industrial operations into predictive systems. In this regard, machine learning methods such as Bayesian optimization and neural-based Quantitative Structure–Property/Tribological Relationship (QSPR/QSTR) modeling help to accelerate additive design and formulation development. Moreover, deep learning and hybrid physics–AI frameworks are now capable to predict key lubricant properties such as viscosity, oxidation stability, and wear resistance directly from molecular or spectral data, reducing the need for long-duration field trials like fleet or engine endurance tests. With respect to condition monitoring, convolutional neural networks automate wear debris classification, multimodal sensor fusion enables real-time oil health tracking, and digital twins provide predictive maintenance by forecasting lubricant degradation and optimizing drain intervals. AI-assisted blending and process control platforms extend these advantages into manufacturing, reducing waste and improving reproducibility. This article sheds light on recent progress in AI-driven formulation, monitoring, and maintenance, thus identifying major barriers to adoption such as fragmented datasets, limited model transferability, and low explainability. Moreover, it discusses how standardized data infrastructures, physics-informed learning, and secure federated approaches can advance the industry toward adaptive, sustainable lubricant development under the principles of Industry 5.0. Full article

Background/Objectives: There is limited empirical evidence on the feasibility of inclusive, community-based exercise programs for older adults with long-term mobility disabilities. This pilot study investigated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a community-based high-intensity functional training (HIFT) intervention. Methods: This single-group pre–post feasibility trial was delivered across four community-based HIFT facilities. Thirteen participants enrolled, and 10 (mean age 69.8 ± 6.7 years; 60% female) completed baseline assessments, two onboarding sessions, and thrice-weekly group-based workouts across 16 weeks. Physical function was assessed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function, Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES), and standardized tests of mobility, balance, and strength. Exploratory outcomes included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, work capacity, and quality of life (QOL). Results: Recruitment, retention, and attendance rates were 38%, 77%, and 58% (80% including make-up sessions), respectively. The intervention was safe and well-tolerated, with one fall-related adverse event. Self-reported functional outcomes demonstrated small to large effects, with large improvements in participant-identified functional activities (d = 1.03–1.54) and fall efficacy (d = 0.97), and a small effect for standardized physical function (d = 0.36) Endurance improved substantially (d = 1.01), while mobility, balance, and strength outcomes reflected maintenance or small to moderate gains (d = 0.08–0.55). BMI remained stable (d = 0.05), work capacity increased with moderate to large effects (d = 0.61–1.43), and QOL improved modestly (d = 0.20). Exit interviews reinforced high acceptability, highlighting individualized adaptations, supportive trainers, and the group-based context as motivating contextual factors. Conclusions: A community-based HIFT program is feasible and acceptable for older adults with mobility disabilities. Full article

In recent years, the need for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for offshore infrastructure maintenance and oceanographic surveillance has been prominently increasing. Continuous monitoring and surveillance are the essential tasks the AUVs are designed to perform. However, the long endurance of the AUV is a challenging task due to the limited size and capacity of the onboard battery. The conventional way of recharging using battery swapping or a wet mate connector limits the autonomy of the AUV. Underwater wireless power transfer (UWPT) technology seems to be a suitable alternative for overcoming the above limitations, which can provide autonomy to the AUV charging process. However, designing a UWPT system has its limitations in the marine environment and requires enough engineering studies of the different modules of the system. Different investigations are proposed in the literature on the UWPT system, both at the system level and circuit level. This article provides an overview of the latest advancements in the UWPT system and discusses marine power sources, power converter topologies, compensation topologies, and different types of magnetic couplers. The article also discusses the engineering challenges in designing a UWPT system, including eddy current loss and biofouling. The article also summarizes current research trends, potential challenges in UWPT, and future technological developments from prototypes to practical products and offers recommendations for further progress. Full article

Religiosity has been proposed as a meta-resource that may help parents endure chronic caregiving demands by anchoring parenting in meaning, values, and a sense of purpose—an idea compatible with Frankl’s view that suffering becomes more bearable when it is intelligible and oriented toward a “why.” In a cross-sectional sample of Polish parents (N = 339), we examined whether religiosity related to parental burnout through existential resources (presence and searching for meaning in life) and family-level resources (family functioning) while accounting for basic sociodemographic factors. The zero-order religiosity–burnout association was small and not statistically significant. Yet an indirect-only pattern emerged: higher religiosity was linked to lower parental burnout primarily through higher presence of meaning in life and better family functioning, including a small but reliable serial connection between these two resources. By contrast, global perceived support and generic searching for meaning did not add explanatory value once core resources were considered. In meaning-centred terms, religious faith may operate less as a direct “shield” against burnout and more as a pathway to sustaining everyday family practices and a stable sense of meaning that helps parents carry long-term demands. In other words, religiosity appears linked to lower burnout mainly indirectly via meaning and everyday family functioning, rather than through a sizable direct association. Full article

Peak bone mass gained in youth is crucial for preventing osteoporosis. Artistic gymnastics (AG) is highly osteogenic, yet its long-term effects on adults ≥ 45 years are not well documented. This case–control study compared bone mineral density (BMD) and the prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis in former gymnasts, age-matched controls, and reference populations from Brazil and Portugal. Participants included 65 former gymnasts (32 males, 33 females; 45–84 years), who trained for 12.6 ± 4.3 years and included 41 international competitors, and 91 controls (37 males; 45–87 years). Whole-body and femoral BMD were assessed by DXA. Physical activity during youth (10–20 years) (PA-Youth) and the past decade (PA-10) was recorded. Reference data were drawn from large cohorts in Brazil (FIBRA, n = 828) and Portugal (CIAFEL, n = 1089). Former gymnasts had substantially higher PA-Youth than controls, while PA-10 was similar. Gymnasts displayed 4–6 times higher femoral Z-scores (neck and total) and a markedly lower prevalence of osteopenia/osteoporosis (males: 3% vs. 16%; females: 36% vs. 52%, p < 0.05). These benefits remained after adjustment for age, PA-10, and hormonal/calcium therapy. Relative to reference populations, gymnasts showed greater whole-body and femoral mineralization, with no osteoporosis cases (vs. 6–12% overall; 9–13% among those ≥60 years). Age-stratified analysis (45–59 and ≥60 years) revealed a consistently lower osteopenia prevalence across age groups, except in females ≥ 60 years. In conclusion, early-life AG participation is associated with enduring skeletal benefits, including higher bone mineralization and reduced osteopenia/osteoporosis in adults ≥ 45 years. The protective effect appears diminished in older females, likely reflecting prolonged postmenopausal bone loss. Full article

Investors’ ability to retain investments during bearish and uncertain market periods is a crucial behavioral trait for long-term wealth accumulation and reduces market instability. Nevertheless, little is understood about how digital financial literacy (DFL) shapes the capacity of increasingly digitalized financial environments. This study investigates the links between DFL and investment grip among Japanese active investors—defined here, following conventional Japanese regulatory and research practice, as individuals who maintain a securities account and have engaged with an online brokerage within the past year—building on several theoretical perspectives from behavioral science. Using survey data from 149,261 individuals with an active account at Rakuten Securities, we estimated ordered probit regression models as the main specification. The findings showed a strong positive association between DFL and investment grip, even after accounting for demographic, socioeconomic, as well as cognitive attributes. These results are supported by robustness tests employing a probit model with a binary outcome. The sample consists exclusively of digitally active retail investors; the findings are therefore most directly applicable to this subpopulation. Overall, the evidence suggests that DFL fosters investors’ capacity to endure market volatility by promoting rational decision-making and reducing panic-driven selloffs. This study offers new empirical findings that will help promote financial resilience in technology-driven markets. Full article

Ketamine (KET) administration protocols vary widely in their design, with acute, sub-chronic, and chronic dosing regimens used to induce psychotic-like behavior in rodent models. This review compares representative classic and contemporary studies employing differing KET administration protocols to model psychosis in laboratory rodents. Specifically, we have focused on the behavioral tasks and analytical methods used to validate KET-induced symptoms of psychosis-like and schizophrenia-like behaviors. While variability in behavioral tasks complicates direct comparisons across studies, these findings provide a framework for selecting dosing strategies aligned with specific research objectives. Acute KET protocols are particularly suited for addiction research or as a preliminary approach preceding longer-term studies. In contrast, protocols utilizing repeated or sub-chronic, or chronic administration of KET tend to yield more comprehensive models of psychosis-like behavior and are better suited for examining the associated enduring cognitive and neurobiological impairments. Administering KET intravenously or intraperitoneally at frequent intervals or with a bolus dose, may sustain higher levels of bioavailable KET, thereby producing a more robust and reliable psychosis-like phenotype, especially relevant for investigations of long-term cognitive and neurological dysfunction. Full article

As critical platforms for long-endurance ocean exploration, unmanned underwater vehicles (AUVs) play an increasingly vital role in marine surveying and resident observation. However, in extreme deep-sea environments, their energy systems face severe constraints imposed by hydrostatic pressure and thermodynamic conflicts within confined spaces. Therefore, developing energy technologies with high energy density, intrinsic safety, and high-pressure adaptability is of paramount importance. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the multi-physics coupling issues in deep-sea energy systems and the research progress of current mainstream deep-sea energy technologies. Based on energy sources and conversion principles, existing technological paths are categorized into four classes, with a detailed assessment of their performance and bottlenecks in deep-sea environments. Finally, the paper outlines key future development directions for deep-sea energy systems to provide reference for subsequent research. Full article

This paper analyses the role of landscape as a fundamental dimension of post-earthquake recovery in the inland areas of Central Italy, arguing that reconstruction must be understood not only as the repair of damaged buildings but as a broader territorial process affecting identity, spatial organization, and long-term settlement trajectories. In this sense, post-earthquake recovery is also interpreted as a strategic opportunity to reinforce coast–inland relationships, acknowledging the structural interdependence between inland Apennine areas and coastal urban systems. Drawing on insights from applied research conducted in the L’Aquila 2009 crater and on the conceptual framework developed within the PRIN TRIALS project, the paper discusses how seismic events accelerate pre-existing territorial dynamics and produce enduring transformations, particularly in the proximity landscapes surrounding historic centres. Rather than presenting empirical findings, the contribution offers a theoretical and operational framework aimed at integrating landscape considerations into reconstruction processes. It outlines key concepts such as landscape quality, transformative resilience, and permanent temporariness; reviews critical normative aspects linked to emergency procedures; and proposes a set of landscape-oriented guidelines and criteria for the contextual integration of reconstruction projects. These include landscape quality objectives, multiscalar readings of identity values, and operational tools such as visual-impact assessment, Project Reference Context analysis, and principles for managing transformations in peri-urban and historic environments. Overall, the paper argues that adopting a landscape-based perspective can strengthen territorial cohesion, support the sustainable redevelopment of historic centres and their surroundings, and embed post-earthquake reconstruction within broader coast–inland territorial strategies aimed at long-term resilience and balanced regional development in Apennine communities. Full article

Urban parks are central to public health and equity, yet less is known about how park travel distance, park “attractor” types, and time-of-day visitation rhythms co-evolved through and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Using anonymized smartphone mobility traces for public parks in Las Vegas, USA (2018–2022), we construct weekly origin–destination flows between census block groups (CBGs) and parks and link origins to socio-economic indicators. We first estimate visitor-weighted mean travel distance with a segmented time-series model that allows pandemic-related breakpoints. Results show that average park-trip distance (≈8.4 km pre-pandemic), including a substantial share of long-distance trips (≈52% of visits), contracted sharply at the onset of COVID-19, and that both travel radii and seasonal excursion peaks only partially rebounded by 2022. Next, cross-sectional OLS/WLS models (R² ≈ 0.08–0.14) indicate persistent socio-spatial disparities: CBGs with higher educational attainment and larger shares of Black and Hispanic residents are consistently associated with shorter park-trip distances, suggesting constrained recreational mobility for socially disadvantaged groups. We then identify a stable two-type park typology—local versus regional attractors—using clustering on origin diversity and long-distance share (silhouette ≈ 0.46–0.52); this typology is strongly related to visitation volume and temporal usage profiles. Finally, mixed-effects models of evening and late-night visit shares show that regional attractors sustain higher nighttime activity than local parks, even as citywide evening/late-night visitation dipped during the mid-pandemic period and only partly recovered thereafter. Overall, our findings reveal a durable post-pandemic re-scaling of park use toward more proximate, CBG-embedded patterns layered on enduring inequities in access to distant, destination-oriented parks. These insights offer actionable evidence for equitable park planning, targeted investment in high-need areas, and time-sensitive management strategies that account for daytime versus nighttime use. Full article

Coaxial contra-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are attractive for their compact structure and aerodynamic efficiency, making them suitable for long-endurance and heavy-payload operations. However, the coaxial configuration introduces strong rotor coupling, phase lag, and additional disturbances, which pose significant challenges for stable control. To overcome these issues, we propose a cascaded Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC-C) framework, in which a two-level control structure is adopted. The outer loop employs a classical ADRC controller to estimate and compensate for the lumped external forces, providing the compensated attitude command to the inner loop. The inner loop, in turn, adopts an $SO\left(3\right)$-based Extended State Observer (ESO) to handle high-frequency torque disturbances through real-time estimation and compensation. The proposed approach is validated through numerical simulations. Results confirm that the cascaded ADRC consistently outperforms conventional PID control in tracking accuracy, transient response, and disturbance rejection, demonstrating strong robustness for demanding coaxial UAV missions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Lower limb amputation (LLA) negatively affects the physical and psychological health of individuals, leading to a lower quality of life and sedentary lifestyle. The objective of this scoping review is to search for evidence regarding physical activity interventions in individuals with LLA, investigating improvements in specific outcomes related to quality of life and performance. Methods: PRISMA guidelines—extension for scoping reviews—were used to structure the study. The research was conducted between 26 July 2023 and 30 September 2023; it was structured by defining two PICO questions (P = amputation, I = physical exercise, O1 = quality of life, and O2 = performance) through Pubmed, Cochrane, and Pedro databases. The study included subjects with LLA of any etiology, in prosthetic or pre-prosthetic phase, practicing non-competitive physical activity. The results were then subjected to both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Results: Of the 615 studies identified, 18 were included in the review. They consisted of 6 systematic reviews (SR), 5 RCTs, 4 case–control studies, 1 case report (CR), and 2 cross-sectional (CS). Physical activity (PA) interventions were extremely heterogeneous and were, therefore, categorized into 6 modalities: surveys were the most reported strategies (57%), followed by personalized training (23%), strength training (13%), endurance training (13%), combined training (2%), and gait training (5%). Due to the heterogeneity of the studies, the variety of interventions proposed and the different outcomes registered, there is no evidence that one approach is more effective than another, while each group showed benefits on different specific outcomes. In total, five outcome categories were identified: quality of life was the most frequently analysed (42%), followed by cardiovascular fitness (20%), muscular fitness (14%), gait parameters (13%), functionality and disability (11%). Conclusions: PA represents a valuable strategy for improving performance and quality of life in individuals with LLA, offering a variety of interventions. Although there is no evidence that one strategy is better than the others, each activity has proven to be effective on specific outcomes, therefore, the choice must depend on the patient’s necessities. The preferred option should be the personalization of the training according to individual needs, coupled with long-term planning and remote monitoring. Creating meeting places and supporting occasions for sports activities could be a valid option. Further research could help to clarify the benefits of such interventions and enhance the understanding of how to optimize the management of LLA patients. Full article

Background/Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) molecules influence the adaptive response to exercise, but how lncRNA responses differ between endurance and resistance exercise (RE) modalities is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to bioinformatically infer the expression of lncRNA in skeletal muscle following acute aerobic exercise (AE) and RE. Methods: We downloaded publicly available RNA-seq data, performed a differential expression (DE) analysis, and compared lncRNA expression profiles between different exercise types (AE vs. RE) at three timepoints: baseline, 1 h post-exercise, and 4 h post-exercise. Results: We observed distinct lncRNA profiles between acute AE and RE at different timepoints, suggesting that lncRNA perform distinct roles in controlling the response to different exercise modalities in skeletal muscle. Conclusions: Future studies should investigate the specific roles of these lncRNAs in the response to acute exercise in skeletal muscle. Full article

International service-learning projects are opportunities for students to experientially learn about sustainable design engineering while they are focused on addressing specific community needs. When paired with auto-ethnographical research methods, students become co-creators in their pedagogical experience. This paper explores the impacts of attending a second international service learning trip for three sustainable design engineering students. Through a trio-ethnographic, ethics-approved study, a three-step reflexive framework was adopted to examine the experiences and the effects of participation in sustainable service learning projects that occurred in Honduras. By examining individual reflections and group discussions, three themes were identified by the students researchers: leadership development, the experience of returning, and enduring impacts on perceptions of sustainability and equity. Incorporating reflective activities before, during, and after international service learning experiences allow students to be more prepared, engaged, and reap long-term benefits. Engaging students in the conception, design, analysis, and writing of the research amplifies the learning experience. This article provides insights into how international service learning experiences shape professional trajectories and the personal growth of sustainable design engineering students. Additionally, it advocates for incorporating students as researchers in educational research. Full article