Search Results (277)

Understanding how sensory preferences shape the acceptance of nutrient-dense foods is essential for improving prenatal nutrition. This exploratory study examined taste, smell, texture, appearance, and enjoyment factors influencing food acceptability among (n = 21) African American pregnant women, examining how determinants must be met for consumption. We administered surveys to identify preferred foods and analyzed the nutrient quantity of vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin D, iodine, iron, calcium, magnesium, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids in each food, given their influence on prenatal health. Nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods were identified by ranking preferred foods by nutrients and selecting those that consistently ranked as top contributors. Focus groups further explored conditions that promote or hinder intake, and content analysis was conducted using NVivo. Preferred nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods included cashews, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, salmon, carrots, red bell peppers, and spinach. Participants cited low acceptance due to allergies, undesirable textures (“dry” or “slimy”), unpleasant taste or appearance, a lack of cravings, preference for alternatives, unenjoyable preparation methods, and foods perceived as “display-only.” High acceptance was linked to appealing taste and texture, flexible preparation options, and perceived health benefits. These considerations suggest that taste, texture, appearance, and enjoyment are important considerations for prenatal food intake. Full article

This article examines how DressGO, a fashion game developed by DRESSX on Roblox, organizes immersive fashion commerce for youth-oriented audiences through persuasive and gamified interface design. Rather than treating purchase as a discrete transactional event, the study examines how monetization cues are embedded in progression loops, cosmetic status, and habitual return within a platform-mediated retail environment. Methodologically, the article adopts a qualitative single-case study and interface analysis based on a primary corpus of 12 screenshots selected from an initial pool of 34 screenshots collected across six gameplay sessions in January 2026, complemented by observational notes and contextual documentary triangulation and supplementary verification material for Robux/payment-route visibility. The analysis identifies four operational mechanisms: staged unboxing as a sensory gateway to acquisition, daily rewards and quantified tasks as retention infrastructure, rankings and rarity displays as social comparison cues, and accelerators, probability boosters, and waiting timers as conversion pressure mechanisms. The findings indicate that the interface integrates virtual fashion consumption into ordinary play and social visibility, while monetization cues operate through playful aesthetics, repetition, scarcity cues, and low-friction prompts embedded in progression systems. The article contributes to immersive commerce research by examining how gamification, interface design, and symbolic fashion value converge in a youth-oriented virtual retail environment. It further argues that randomized access, temporal friction, and comparative visibility should be understood not only as engagement features, but also as matters of digital fairness, platform trust, and responsible interface design. Full article

Optimizing oxygen supply and nitrogen removal in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) requires species-specific metabolic benchmarks. This study quantified the effects of body size and stocking density on oxygen consumption and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) excretion in the silverside Odontesthes bonariensis under controlled RAS conditions. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used to compare small (48–140 g) and large (>140–250 g) fish stocked at low (3.2 kg m⁻³) and high (6.2 kg m⁻³) densities. Oxygen consumption was significantly influenced by both factors, with mean routine rates ranging from 146.12 ± 35.07 mg O₂ kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ in high-density large fish to 226.31 ± 50.71 mg O₂ kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ in low-density small fish. Smaller fish exhibited higher mass-specific rates, and individuals held at lower densities consumed more oxygen, consistent with allometric scaling and density-dependent metabolic suppression. In contrast, TAN excretion was unaffected by size or density, with mean values ranging from 4.59 ± 0.77 to 10.81 ± 3.76 mg TAN kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ across treatments, indicating stable protein catabolism under a uniform feeding regime. Both parameters displayed pronounced diurnal fluctuations, with postprandial peaks associated with specific dynamic action: oxygen consumption fluctuated between 61.75 and 333.03 mg O₂ kg⁻¹ h⁻¹, while TAN excretion ranged from 0 to 78.63 mg TAN kg⁻¹ h⁻¹ over 24 h cycles. These findings demonstrate that oxygen demand in O. bonariensis is strongly modulated by bioenergetic scaling and stocking density (ranging from 146 to 226 mg O₂ kg⁻¹ h⁻¹), whereas ammonia excretion (4.6–10.8 mg TAN kg⁻¹ h⁻¹) is primarily driven by dietary input. These results provide species-specific baseline benchmarks for aeration sizing and biofilter design, thereby supporting the sustainable intensification of silverside aquaculture in RAS. Full article

Promoting the green development of the tourism industry is a crucial pathway for achieving coordinated progress in ecological civilization development and industrial transformation and upgrading. Based on panel data for 16 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province from 2011 to 2022, this study constructs an “inputs–desirable outputs–undesirable outputs” indicator system, measures city-level tourism eco-efficiency (TEE) using a super-efficiency SBM model incorporating undesirable outputs, decomposes provincial disparities and their sources using the Theil index and its decomposition, and further identifies city-specific heterogeneity in influencing factors by employing a panel variable-coefficient fixed-effects model. The results show that: (1) Anhui’s TEE exhibited an overall fluctuating upward trend during 2011–2022, with provincial efficiency values ranging from 1.465 (2016) to 1.500 (2022), and a more pronounced rebound after 2017; (2) spatially, TEE displays a pattern of “higher in the south, lower in the north, with a central uplift,” with southern Anhui cities such as Huangshan and Xuancheng performing relatively well, while many northern Anhui cities lag behind; (3) Theil decomposition indicates that overall disparities are driven mainly by within-region differences, whereas between-region differences contribute relatively little; and (4) influencing factors are markedly heterogeneous: scale- and affluence-related variables promote TEE in core cities such as Hefei, but tend to inhibit it in cities such as Bozhou, Anqing, Chuzhou, and Wuhu. The mechanisms associated with technology and structural variables are more complex; in particular, the expansion of energy consumption exerts a significantly negative effect on TEE in most cities and constitutes a common constraint on efficiency improvement, while the effects of R&D investment, digitalization, and the share of the tertiary sector vary across cities. Accordingly, policy efforts should prioritize energy-efficiency improvement and low-carbon substitution at the provincial level while implementing differentiated, city-specific pathways at the municipal level to jointly advance the low-carbon transition and high-quality development of the tourism industry. Full article

Against the backdrop of the dual-carbon strategy, China’s civil aviation industry, as a high-energy-consumption and high-carbon-emission sector, faces mounting pressure for low-carbon transformation. As the dominant airlines within China’s civil aviation system, Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines play a pivotal role in guiding the industry’s high-quality development. Employing the Global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) index model, this study constructs a global production frontier incorporating undesirable outputs to systematically measure the dynamic evolution of total factor productivity (TFP) for the three major airlines in the period 2005–2023, and further applies a combined static-dynamic regression framework to identify the firm-level heterogeneous mechanisms through which explanatory factors operate. The results reveal significant heterogeneity in TFP trajectories: China Southern Airlines exhibits the most stable efficiency with the lowest volatility; China Eastern Airlines displays the greatest volatility but the strongest post-crisis rebound; and Air China occupies an intermediate position in both efficiency level and volatility. This differentiation stems from fundamental differences in market positioning, strategic orientation, and resource allocation patterns. Market competitiveness exerts a significantly positive effect on TFP for both Air China and China Eastern Airlines. Technological innovation investment generates short-run negative effects across all three airlines, albeit with divergent magnitudes. Human capital accumulation acts as a positive driver for Air China but produces a negative effect for China Southern Airlines, attributable to a structural mismatch between aggressive talent upgrading and organizational absorptive capacity. Shifting the unit of analysis to the firm level, this study identifies three heterogeneous strategic archetypes—market-led, scale-expansion, and regional-deepening—and constructs a differentiated “one firm, one policy” framework to provide targeted policy guidance for improving airline efficiency and facilitating low-carbon transition under carbon constraints. Full article

Smart labels are emerging as a key enabling technology for product traceability, environmental monitoring, and user interaction within Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems. This work presents the design and experimental validation of a low-power smart label platform integrating Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication, temperature sensing, and dynamic e-paper visualization based on the HY0020 System-on-Chip (SoC). This platform was implemented on a custom Printed Circuit Board (PCB) designed around a 1.02-inch monochrome e-paper display and incorporates a TXS0108E interface to support reliable display communication. The developed prototype enables wireless user interaction, dynamic QR code rendering, and ambient temperature monitoring while maintaining low average power consumption. Experimental evaluation included BLE communication testing, display operation validation, temperature monitoring assessment using the integrated HY0020 sensor, and energy consumption characterization. Experimental results confirmed reliable BLE connectivity, stable temperature monitoring performance under normal environmental conditions, and an estimated battery lifetime of approximately 54 days under the evaluated operating profile. The presented platform demonstrates the feasibility of integrating sensing, wireless communication, and electrophoretic display technology within a compact battery-powered smart label device. The proposed architecture provides a practical proof-of-concept foundation for future applications involving product traceability, digital information management, and Digital Product Passport (DPP)-oriented services. Full article

This work aims to investigate the interfacial tension characteristics of alkyl carboxymethyl betaines dispersed at the crude oil/formation water interface. Four alkyl dimethyl carboxymethyl betaines and one alkyl diethyl carboxymethyl betaine were synthesized, then the effects of surfactant molecular structure, crude oil component, and inorganic salt composition of formation water on interfacial tensions were studied systematically. The results show that the synthesized octadecyl diethyl carboxymethyl betaine has the highest interfacial activity and exhibits superior anti-dilution performance. In the presence of polyacrylamide, this betaine also displays good anti-adsorption capability. With respect to crude oil components, the resin component, especially the petroleum acid and alkali components, play important roles in tension reduction. For formation water, its alkaline inorganic salts are crucial to obtain an ultra-low interfacial tension by its saponification effect on petroleum acid. The octadecyl diethyl carboxymethyl betaine also exhibits good temperature and salt resistance, but poor tolerance toward divalent cations owing to the consumption of alkaline inorganic salts. Moreover, it is found that there exists synergism between octadecyl diethyl carboxymethyl betaine and dodecylbenzene sulfonate which can further reduce the interfacial tension. The above findings are conducive to the selection of betaine surfactants in chemical flooding. Full article

This paper presents a modular FPGA-based Smart Multi-Functional Display (SMFD) architecture designed for low-power and real-time avionics applications. Conventional SMFD systems are typically based on tightly coupled monolithic architectures, which limit scalability, maintainability, and subsystem flexibility while increasing system complexity and power consumption. To address these limitations, the proposed architecture separates processing, display, and communication functions into independent hardware modules, enabling flexible system integration and subsystem-level optimization. It consists of four primary modules: an FPGA-based Programmable Logic Device (PLD) module for deterministic video processing and display timing control, an NXP i.MX8X CPU module for application-level management, a high-resolution LCD module, and a dedicated I/O module supporting avionics communication interfaces, including AFDX and RS422. The architecture combines FPGA-assisted real-time processing with power-aware task partitioning strategies to improve both timing predictability and energy efficiency. Experimental evaluation performed on the implemented hardware prototype demonstrates that the proposed architecture achieves approximately 40% reduction in power consumption compared to a conventional baseline configuration while maintaining real-time operational capability with an average processing latency of 12.7 ms. In addition, the FPGA-based implementation enables dynamic display reconfiguration with a measured switching time of approximately 235 ms. The results indicate that the proposed modular architecture provides an effective balance between power efficiency, real-time performance, scalability, and system flexibility for next-generation avionics display applications. Full article

Weather forecasting, given the ever-increasing occurrence of climate change-induced events, has been widely introduced as a method to offer accurate and timely forecasts for proactive measures and risk mitigation. Artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) offers promising solutions for short-term weather forecasting, contributing to the advancement of sustainable and efficient weather monitoring technologies. This work presents everWeather_2.0, a significantly enhanced low-cost and self-powered AIoT-based weather forecasting station, which addresses key challenges in power consumption, user engagement and forecasting accuracy. The proposed end-to-end Cloud-Edge-IoT (CEI) proof-of-concept solution improves upon its predecessor by combining a more robust renewable energy subsystem for complete power autonomy with a series of lightweight, adaptive statistical models for on-device forecasting and an integrated display for on-site user engagement. Deployed in a real-world scenario, the station demonstrated seamless operation and high short-term forecasting accuracy for the thermodynamic variables during the pilot deployment period, with model errors observed as low as 2% for 30 min forecasts to 4.3% for 120 min intervals, validating its applicability in real-time and continuous physical weather monitoring. While wind speed and rainfall were monitored, they were excluded from the current accuracy metrics due to their high volatility and the insufficient number of events recorded during the pilot period to ensure reliable modeling. Full article

The growing emphasis on environmental sustainability within the European Union raises important questions about the internal structure of corporate environmental effort. This study examines environmental expenditures (intermediate consumption of environmental protection services) and environmental investments (gross fixed capital formation for environmental protection) in ten EU member states over 2015–2022, using Eurostat Environmental Protection Expenditure Accounts data at both the national and sectoral levels (NACE Rev.2 sectors A, B, C, D). Two hypotheses are tested empirically. First, sectoral differences in the investment-to-expenditure ratio are statistically significant (Kruskal–Wallis H = 27.72, p < 0.0001): electricity, mining, and manufacturing each display a higher ratio than agriculture, with the most pronounced contrast for electricity. Second, Eastern European member states exhibit a systematically higher investment-to-expenditure ratio than the remaining countries in the sample (level difference: β = +1.01, p < 0.001), although the two groups follow parallel trajectories without convergence or divergence over the period examined. Building on the relative intensity of the two indicators, the study proposes a four-quadrant typology—active transformation, investment focus, maintenance model, and low-intensity profile—whose stability is confirmed by bootstrap resampling, sub-sample analysis, and an alternative deflator specification. The findings suggest that the internal composition of environmental effort is as informative as its overall level and that sectoral disaggregation is essential for characterising patterns of environmental effort in the EU. Full article

Low-refresh-rate driving is an effective way to reduce the power consumption of active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays. However, in conventional low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin-film transistor (TFT) pixel circuits, leakage current through switching TFTs can disturb the stored gate voltage of the driving TFT during the long emission period. This causes the time-dependent variation in driving current and visible flicker. In this study, a novel pixel circuit for leakage suppression in low-refresh-rate driving is presented. Bias aging was first applied to reduce the leakage current of the LTPS TFT, and a device model was then built from the characteristics measured at 60 °C. Based on this model, the leakage-induced instability of a conventional 7T1C pixel circuit was analyzed. To suppress this effect, a new 8T1C pixel circuit was proposed. The key idea is to reduce the source–drain voltage of the leakage-sensitive switching TFT during the emission period by raising the initial line potential to a level close to the storage node potential. Simulation results show that the proposed circuit greatly reduces the time-dependent variation in both the driving TFT gate voltage and the driving current compared with the conventional 7T1C circuit. Perceptual evaluation based on human visual sensitivity also confirms stable low-refresh-rate operation down to 20 Hz over the practical gray range. These results show that the proposed circuit is an effective solution for moderate low-refresh-rate operation without relying on low-temperature polycrystalline silicon and oxide (LTPO) technology. Full article

Forest tourism represents an important pathway for promoting green consumption, with forest parks serving as the primary platform for its development. The coordinated development of forest parks is therefore essential for achieving integrated economic, social, and ecological benefits. Investigating the coordination and coupling between ecological resilience and tourism economy in forest parks of the Yellow River Basin along with driving factors carried substantial practical significance for balancing regional economic development with ecological conservation. The present research developed an indicator system that was comprehensive and dynamic for assessing ecological resilience across forest parks in nine provinces of the Yellow River Basin during 2013–2023. To investigate patterns of spatiotemporal evolution and uncover underlying driving mechanisms, exploratory spatial data analysis was combined with a spatiotemporal geographically weighted regression model. The main findings are as follows: (1) The integrated levels of ecological resilience and tourism economy across the Yellow River Basin showed significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. From north to south, a high–low–high spatial pattern was exhibited by ecological resilience, while a core concentration and gradient diffusion pattern was demonstrated by the tourism economy. (2) The coupling coordination level between forest park ecosystems and the tourism economy increased, with a growing number of provinces transitioning toward coordinated and near–dysregulated states, although pronounced regional disparities persisted. (3) Kernel density analysis indicated an overall improvement in coordination, accompanied by strong regional differentiation. The upper reaches displayed a unipolar leading pattern, while the middle and lower reaches showed multipolar differentiation and a pronounced “Matthew effect”. (4) Technological innovation emerged as the core driving factor, though its influence varied considerably across regions. Overall, these findings provide theoretical support and empirical evidence for policy formulation aimed at achieving a balance between ecological conservation and economic development in forest park systems. Full article

In response to the issues of concentrated early-stage hydration heat and significant self-shrinkage in high-strength cementitious grouting materials at low water-to-binder ratios, improvements were achieved by co-blending granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) with calcium sulphatoaluminate (UEA) and magnesium oxide (MEA) expansive agents. The workability, mechanical properties, volumetric stability and hydration heat characteristics of the composite system were systematically investigated, and the underlying mechanisms were elucidated through microscopic analysis methods such as XRD, TG and SEM. The results indicate that GGBS improved the fluidity of the pastes and promoted the development of later-stage strength. At the same time, GGBS delayed the peak of hydration heat release and reduced total heat release. In terms of volume deformation, UEA expanded rapidly and exhibited significant compensatory shrinkage in the early stages. MEA expanded slowly in the early stages and displayed more sustained expansion under wet-curing conditions, but experienced significant shrinkage rebound in the later stages under dry environments. Further research revealed that GGBS inhibited the expansion performance of both types of expansive agents. This is primarily attributed to the consumption of Ca(OH)₂ within the system, which reduced the alkalinity of the liquid phase. GGBS physically restricted the formation and development of expansion products by promoting the densification of the C–S–H gel. Full article

With the continuous advancement of display technology and advanced integrated circuits, oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) have become core devices due to their high mobility, low leakage current and excellent large-area uniformity. To achieve low power consumption, high performance and high reliability, the introduction of high-k gate insulating layers is crucial. Among the numerous high-k materials, hafnium oxide (HfO₂) has attracted significant attention due to its excellent dielectric properties and good compatibility with CMOS processes. In this paper, uniform and dense HfO₂ films were successfully fabricated using the sol–gel method to serve as insulating layers for TFT devices. Through experimental analysis, 400 °C was determined to be the optimal annealing temperature. At this temperature, the effects of replacing SiO₂ with HfO₂ as the insulating layer, as well as the impact of reducing film thickness, on TFT devices were investigated. Ultimately, at an annealing temperature of 400 °C, an 85 nm-thick HfO₂ film achieved the highest on/off current ratio (I_on/off = 1.11 × 10⁶), the lowest subthreshold swing (SS = 0.53 V/dec), the lowest threshold voltage (Vth = −1.1 V) and the lowest off-current ratio (I_off = 2.5 × 10⁻¹² A). It was confirmed that replacing SiO₂ with HfO₂ as the insulating layer is a viable approach for reducing the volume of TFT devices. Full article

The synergistic deformation and energy dissipation of backfill–surrounding rock composite structures under impact loading remain poorly understood, despite the frequent exposure of deep mine backfilled stopes to dynamic disturbances such as blasting and seismicity. In this study, Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) tests were conducted at a fixed impact pressure of 0.2 MPa on single-material specimens and bonded backfill–rock composite cylinders, with loading applied from both the backfill end and the surrounding rock end. Single backfill specimens exhibited dominant reflected energy (~90%) and low crushing energy consumption (<20%), whereas composite specimens displayed characteristic “double-peak” or “flat-peak” stress–strain signatures with peak strengths exceeding that of standalone backfill. When loading was directed from the high-strength surrounding rock into the backfill, the reflected energy ratio decreased to 60–80% and crushing energy consumption increased to 20–30%, demonstrating a loading-direction-dependent energy dissipation mechanism. These results provide a quantitative reference for optimizing blast sequence design in backfilled stopes. Full article