Search Results (201,586)

With the growing use of AI, it is important to know target audiences’ perceptions of its use. A convenience sample of students were invited to take an online survey in which they were randomly assigned to Group 1 (evaluated a student-generated blog; n = 456) or Group 2 (evaluated an AI-generated blog; n = 492). The results of independent t-tests and chi-squared tests indicated no group differences in ratings of ease of recipe preparation, time to prepare the recipe, utilization of common ingredients, and frequency of intended use of the blog. The student-generated blog was rated higher on budget friendliness (p = 0.025). A total of 42% indicated they would be less willing to use a blog if they knew it was AI-generated, while 43% indicated that it would make no difference and 4.4% indicated being more likely to view the AI-generated blog. Two researchers used a thematic analysis approach to evaluate participants’ free responses regarding the likelihood of using a recipe blog that was AI-generated. Participant perceptions of an AI-generated blog ranged from very positive to very negative. Some themes highlighted the potential benefits of AI or a more neutral stance indicating that “a recipe is a recipe”. The majority of themes highlighted the benefits of content that was created, verified, or tested by humans, or espoused a human touch. Students should be trained to cater to consumer preferences, and to add value in a world that includes AI-generated content. Full article

To enhance the thermo-mechanical coupling performance of heavy-duty bearings with smart sensing capability in electric shovel applications, this study proposes a multi-objective optimization methodology for sensor-embedded bearing rings incorporating smart sensor-embedded grooves. Driven by multi-physics coupling analysis and experimental validation, a coupled thermal–mechanical model integrating frictional heat generation, heat transfer, and stress response was established. Parametric finite element simulations were conducted, with varying groove depths and axial positions. A comprehensive performance index combining three metrics—maximum temperature, equivalent stress, and principal strain—was formulated to evaluate design efficacy. Experimental tests on thermal and strain responses were employed to validate the simulation model confirming its predictive ability. Among the 21 parameter combinations, the configuration featuring an 8 mm groove depth located 20 mm from the large end face exhibited relatively optimal synergy across thermal dissipation, structural strength, and strain sensitivity. The proposed framework provides a certain theoretical and practical guidance for the design and optimization of the sensor-embedded groove structure in intelligent heavy-duty bearings. Full article

Background: T cell regeneration in the thymus is intrinsically linked to the T cell-biased lineage differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Although nonhuman primates (NHPs) serve as indispensable models for studying thymic output under physiological and pathological conditions, a non-animal technology facilitating efficient TCR-selected T cell development and evaluating T cell output from NHP-derived HSPCs has been lacking. To address this gap, we established a rhesus macaque-specific artificial thymic organoid (RhATO) modeling primary thymus-tissue-free thymopoiesis. Methods: The RhATO was developed by expressing Rhesus macaque (RM) Delta-like Notch ligand 1 in mouse bone marrow stromal cell line (MS5-RhDLL1). The bone marrow-derived HSPCs were aggregated with MS5-RhDLL1 and cultured forming 3D artificial thymic organoids. These organoids were maintained under defined cytokine conditions to support complete T cell developmental ontogeny. T cell developmental progression was assessed by flow cytometry, and TCR-selected subsets were analyzed for phenotypic and functional properties. Results: RhATOs recapitulated the complete spectrum of thymopoietic events, including emergence of thymus-seeding progenitors, CD4⁺CD3⁻ immature single-positive and CD4⁺CD8⁺ double-positive early thymocytes, and mature CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ single-positive subsets. These subsets expressed CD38, consistent with the recent thymic emigrant phenotype, and closely mirrored canonical T cell ontogeny described in humans. RhATO-derived T cells were TCR-selected and demonstrated cytokine expression upon stimulation. Conclusions: This study provides the first demonstration of an NHP-specific artificial thymic technology that faithfully models thymopoiesis. RhATO represents a versatile ex vivo platform for studying T cell development, immunopathogenesis, and generating TCR selected T cells. Full article

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of pig dietary supplementation with an antioxidant mixture (150 mg of Vitamin E and 15 mg of verbascoside from Verbenaceae extract) for 38 days before slaughter on the quality parameters of cooked ham. A total of 150 pigs were divided into two experimental groups: one receiving a control diet (C) and one a diet with the antioxidant blend (AO). Twenty pigs per treatment were randomly selected and slaughtered at about 135 kg of live weight. The results showed that cooked ham colour indexes and tenderness were not influenced (p > 0.05) by dietary treatment. The nutritional and sensory parameters were unaltered (p > 0.05) by the antioxidant supplementation. Dietary treatment positively influenced the oxidative stability (p < 0.05) of cooked ham from pigs fed the AO diet compared to the control diet. The present study suggests that dietary supplementation with an antioxidant blend for a short period (38 days) is able to improve the oxidative stability of cooked ham without impacting its chemical and sensory characteristics. Full article

This study examines how dual appraisals of value and risk jointly shape purchase intention in live-streaming commerce, refining the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework for an understudied market context. Drawing on data from Indonesian live-stream shoppers, we demonstrate that stimuli such as streamer credibility, interactivity, and media richness enhance value perceptions and reduce perceived risk, which in turn increases purchase intention. The findings indicated that perceived value is the dominant pathway to intention, while perceived risk shows a small but positive association in this context. The study contributes by advancing S-O-R with dual appraisals and offers design guidance for stream formats. Practically, the findings provide explicit direction for allocating resources towards media richness and structured interactivity, while simultaneously emphasising the importance of safeguards. These design decisions consistently increase consumers’ purchase intentions and perceived value. Full article

Across digital platforms, large-scale assessment of customer sentiment has become integral to brand management, service recovery, and data-driven marketing in e-commerce. Still, most studies center on single-language settings, with bilingual and culturally diverse environments receiving comparatively limited attention. In this study, a bilingual sentiment analysis of consumer feedback on X (formerly Twitter) was conducted for three global quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands—McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC—using 145,550 English tweets and 15,537 Turkish tweets. After pre-processing and leakage-safe augmentation for low-resource Turkish data, both traditional machine learning models (Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machines, Logistic Regression, Random Forest) and a transformer-based deep learning model, BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), were evaluated. BERT achieved the highest performance (macro-F1 ≈ 0.88 in Turkish; ≈0.39 in temporally split English), while Random Forest emerged as the strongest ML baseline. An apparent discrepancy was observed between pseudo-label agreement (Accuracy > 0.95) and human-label accuracy (EN: 0.75; TR: 0.49), indicating the limitations of lexicon-derived labels and the necessity of human validation. Beyond methodological benchmarking, linguistic contrasts were identified: English tweets were more polarized (positive/negative), whereas Turkish tweets were overwhelmingly neutral. These differences reflect cultural patterns of online expression and suggest direct managerial implications. The findings indicate that bilingual sentiment analysis yields brand-level insights that can inform strategic and operational decisions. Full article

Background: Midpalatal suture expansion is effective in both growing and adult patients, and Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (MARPE) provides greater skeletal effects and fewer dentoalveolar side effects than traditional expanders. However, asymmetric expansion remains a challenge, often influenced by pre-existing craniofacial asymmetries, appliance design, and suture morphology. In this case report, we describe asymmetric expansion with 3D-guided piezocorticotomy-assisted MARPE and its management with directly printed aligners (DPAs). Methods: A patient with facial asymmetry, a narrow maxillary arch, and multiple dentoalveolar deformities underwent pre-treatment evaluation, including root inclination analysis and CBCT imaging. A MARPE appliance with 3D-guided piezocorticotomy assistance was applied; post-expansion orthodontic treatment was digitally planned and performed with directly printed aligners. Results: During MARPE activation, asymmetric midpalatal suture disarticulation was observed, with greater displacement on the left side due to jackscrew orientation and root proximity. Post-expansion orthodontic correction with DPAs allowed precise root positioning, spatial redistribution, and improved occlusal symmetry. Over 20 months, significant improvements were achieved in midline orientation, axial root inclination, and transverse arch coordination. Conclusions: The reported case underscores the importance of pre-treatment evaluation for asymmetries and careful appliance design in MARPE protocols; in addition, it demonstrates that directly printed aligners, supported by digital planning, can provide accurate and efficient dentoalveolar correction following asymmetric expansion. Full article

Through the principle of mechanical vibrations, coffee can be efficiently harvested. However, this process is affected by factors related to the machine and the plant. Thus, the modal properties need to be determined. The aim of this study is to characterize the dynamic behavior of coffee plants based on their modal properties under field conditions, with the fruit at different ripening stages. Fifteen randomly selected coffee plants (Coffea arabica L.), Catuaí Vermelho variety, were instrumented to collect field data and evaluate different scenarios. This study presented an innovative methodology, where coffee plants were evaluated under field conditions using experimental modal analysis at different positions along the plants and considering the immature and mature ripening stages. Based on experimental modal analysis tests, it was possible to observe that there was a higher incidence of natural frequency peaks clustered between 20 and 40 Hz. The values of the damping ratios of the plagiotropic branches of coffee plants with predominantly ripe fruits relative to the upper, middle and lower thirds were 0.145, 0.134 and 0.127, respectively. The results suggest that selectively harvesting coffee fruits solely through vibration application is not a viable option, exclusively by mechanical vibrations. This conclusion arises from the lack of significant differences observed in the pending loads of fruits at various ripening stages, coupled with the overlapping values of frequencies identified within the studied frequency bands. This work can be employed to improve existing equipment and the design of new machinery for coffee harvesting by mechanical vibrations. Full article

Empirical research has revealed conflicting associations between dependent and independent variables, with few studies tackling the dynamics in developing economies. This study investigates the effects of carbon dioxide emissions, renewable energy consumption (REC), foreign direct investment (FDI), government green capital spending (GGCS), and economic growth (EG) in Morocco, employing the Keynesian framework of economic growth. An autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) methodology was applied to assess both short- and long-term relationships among the model’s variables, using annual data from the World Development Indicators (WDI) database for the period 1993–2020. All ARDL variables were transformed into first differences to ensure stationarity. The bounds test confirmed a long-term equilibrium relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Diagnostic tests, including the White test, indicated no evidence of heteroscedasticity, and the Shapiro–Wilk test confirmed that residuals followed a normal distribution, validating model robustness. The model demonstrated overall stability across the study period with no structural breaks. The empirical findings suggest that both carbon dioxide emissions and renewable energy consumption exhibit positive trends, whereas GGCS demonstrates a significant short-run negative correlation with economic growth. However, the long-term coefficients were found to be statistically insignificant, suggesting that sustained policy effects may be attenuated by macroeconomic structural factors. Full article

The detection and monitoring of ions are essential for a broad range of applications, including industrial process control and biomedical diagnostics. Traditional ion-sensitive field-effect transistors require bulky and expensive reference electrodes, which face several limitations, including device miniaturization, high fabrication costs, and incompatibility with semiconductor manufacturing processes. Here, we introduce a reference-less semiconductor ion sensor (RELESIS) that utilizes anodic aluminum oxide film as both the sensitive and dielectric layer. The RELESIS is composed of a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor and an interdigital electrode, which fundamentally eliminates the need for a reference electrode, thereby enabling device miniaturization. During fabrication, the anodic oxidation process is employed in place of the expensive atomic layer deposition method, significantly reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining high surface quality. In practical measurements, the RELESIS device demonstrated an excellent pH sensitivity of 57.8 mV/pH with a low hysteresis of 7 mV. As a proof-of-concept application, the RELESIS device was employed for real-time, non-destructive monitoring of milk freshness, accurately detecting pH changes from fresh to spoiled in milk samples. The combination of reference-less structure, low-cost fabrication, and superior sensing performance positions this technology as a promising platform for next-generation portable ion sensing systems in food safety, environmental monitoring, and point-of-care diagnostics. Full article

The central purpose of this study is to develop and validate an advanced numerical model capable of simulating the vibrational behavior of the operator’s seat in a tractor-type agricultural vehicle designed for operation in protected horticultural environments, such as vegetable greenhouses. The three-dimensional (3D) model of the seat was created using SolidWorks 2023, while its dynamic response was investigated through Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in Altair SimSolid, enabling a detailed evaluation of the natural vibration modes within the 0–80 Hz frequency range. Within this interval, eight significant natural frequencies were identified and correlated with the real structural behavior of the seat assembly. For experimental validation, direct time-domain measurements were performed at a constant speed of 5 km/h on an uneven, grass-covered dirt track within the research infrastructure of INMA Bucharest, using the TE-0 self-propelled electric tractor prototype. At the operator’s seat level, vibration data were collected considering the average anthropometric characteristics of a homogeneous group of subjects representative of typical tractor operators. The sample of participating operators, consisting exclusively of males aged between 27 and 50 years, was selected to ensure representative anthropometric characteristics and ergonomic consistency for typical agricultural tractor operators. Triaxial accelerometer sensors (NexGen Ergonomics, Pointe-Claire, Canada, and Biometrics Ltd., Gwent, UK) were strategically positioned on the seat cushion and backrest to record accelerations along the X, Y, and Z spatial axes. The recorded acceleration data were processed and converted into the frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), allowing the assessment of vibration transmissibility and resonance amplification between the floor and seat. The combined numerical–experimental approach provided high-fidelity validation of the seat’s dynamic model, confirming the structural modes most responsible for vibration transmission in the 4–8 Hz range—a critical sensitivity band for human comfort and health as established in previous studies on whole-body vibration exposure. Beyond validating the model, this integrated methodology offers a predictive framework for assessing different seat suspension configurations under controlled conditions, reducing experimental costs and enabling optimization of ergonomic design before physical prototyping. The correlation between FEA-based modal results and field measurements allows a deeper understanding of vibration propagation mechanisms within the operator–seat system, supporting efforts to mitigate whole-body vibration exposure and improve long-term operator safety in horticultural mechanization. Full article

Innovation is central to the Zero Hunger agenda, yet its distributional links to agricultural performance and policy in Eastern Europe remain unclear. This study investigates whether national innovation performance, proxied by the Global Innovation Index, is associated with agriculture’s macroeconomic weight and with public budget orientation in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia across the past decade and a half. Using panel quantile regression with country fixed effects and bootstrapped standard errors, we estimate effects at the lower, median, and upper parts of the outcome distributions for three indicators: agriculture value added share of gross domestic product, the agriculture orientation index for government expenditures, and the agriculture share of government expenditure. Results show a robust negative association between innovation and the agricultural share of gross domestic product that strengthens toward the upper quantiles, consistent with structural transformation that reallocates value added toward higher-productivity sectors. For the orientation index, innovation is unrelated at the lower and median parts but becomes positive in mid–upper regimes, fading again at the extreme upper tail. No systematic relationship emerges for the budget share. Land endowment is positively associated with agricultural weight, while population size is negatively associated. We conclude that economy-wide innovation aligns with structural change, whereas shifting agricultural budget shares requires targeted, sector-specific policy instruments. Full article

Mathematical modeling is a key tool for describing and predicting the dynamic behavior of anaerobic digestion. Studies combining the co-digestion of aquaponics effluent (AE) and cattle manure (CM) with kinetic modeling remain scarce, particularly regarding the estimation of the apparent kinetic constant of hydrolysis constants and energy conversion indicators. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the bioenergy potential of co-digesting aquaponics effluent (AE) and cattle manure (CM), with an emphasis on kinetic modeling and energy conversion. The experiments were carried out in a bench-scale Indian-type anaerobic biodigester. Different AE, CM, and water (W) (0:1, 1:0, 1:1, 1:3, 3:1 W:CM, and 1:1, 1:3, and 3:1 AE:CM) ratios were tested to identify the most efficient substrate combination for biogas production. The 1:3 AE:CM ratio achieved the best performance, with the Gompertz model providing the best fit for cumulative production and the first-order model accurately estimating k. This ratio yielded the highest cumulative biogas production (72.2 L kg⁻¹ substrate), shorter lag phase, higher production rate, and greater energy conversion efficiency. Comparative analysis revealed that 1:3 AE:CM outperformed both 1:3 A:CM and CM alone, highlighting the positive influence of aquaponics effluent on microbial activity and process stability. These results demonstrate that anaerobic co-digestion of AE and CM, particularly at the 1:3 ratio, is a viable and efficient strategy for renewable energy generation in rural areas, while promoting waste valorization and enhancing environmental and energy sustainability. Full article

Models suggest social anxiety is characterized by negative processing biases. Negative biases also arise from negative mood, i.e., state affect. We examined how social anxiety influences emotional processing and whether state affect, or mood, modified the relationship between social anxiety and perceptual bias. We quantified bias by determining the point of subjective equality, PSE, the face judged equally often as happy and as angry. We found perceptual bias depended on social anxiety and state affect. PSE was greater in individuals high (mean PSE: 8.69) versus low (mean PSE: 3.04) in social anxiety. The higher PSE indicated a stronger negative bias in high social anxiety. State affect modified this relationship, with high social anxiety associated with stronger negative biases, but only for individuals with greater negative affect. State affect and trait anxiety interacted such that social anxiety status alone was insufficient to fully characterize perceptual biases. This raises several issues such as the need to consider what constitutes an appropriate control group and the need to consider state affect in social anxiety. Importantly, our results suggest compensatory effects may counteract the influences of negative mood in individuals low in social anxiety. Full article

Background: Several markers have been shown to define subpopulations enriched for cancer stem cells (CSCs) and correlate with poor clinical outcomes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Objective: To investigate the pattern of expression and correlation with clinical parameters of two CSC markers, namely p75NTR and ALDH1A1, in both patient samples and cell lines. Methods: Archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples from normal human oral mucosa (NHOM, n = 31), oral dysplasia (OD, n = 10) and OSCC (n = 177) were subjected to multiple immunohistochemistry and some to qRT-PCR for expression of CSC and proliferation-related markers, BMI1 and Ki67. Correlations between CSC marker expression and clinical parameters were investigated. Primary cells and cell lines derived from NHOM, OD or OSCC were FACS-analyzed for the same markers. Results: A higher frequency of cells positive for CSC markers was detected in OD and OSCC compared to NHOM. Co-localization of the two markers was a rare finding in OSCC as compared to NHOM or OD and was more heterogeneous in OSCC cell lines than in OD and NHOM cells. Cells positive for p75NTR exhibited higher expression of proliferative and self-renewal markers in comparison to ALDH1A1+ or double ALDH1A1+/p75NTR+ cells. Cells positive for p75NTR were more frequent in small-size tumors and poorly to moderately differentiated tumors and correlated with poor survival of patients otherwise (clinically) deemed as of better prognosis. Higher frequency of ALDH1A1+ cells was found to be associated with lymph node metastasis. Both p75NTR+ cells and ALDH1A1+ cells could emerge de novo from the respective negative subpopulation after FACS and in vitro growth, but with different kinetics. Conclusions: Here, we show that several stem cell subpopulations with distinct phenotypes co-exist in a tumor, each having impact on different clinical parameters. The cell subpopulations identified by the use of different CSC markers were found to be dynamic populations, able to switch between phenotypes. In addition, our data suggest that the stem cell heterogeneity is acquired and evolves parallel with carcinoma progression. Full article