Search Results (6,397)

The growing need for secure image transmission across public networks requires robust encryption algorithms. Traditional chaos-based image ciphers typically have a small key space, weak avalanche behavior, or are susceptible to differential cryptanalysis. To overcome such inadequacies, this paper suggests a new adaptive image cryptosystem that combines a fractional-order memristive chaotic engine and a non-linear hybrid encryption kernel. The system uses piano-inspired feedback; the keystream generator dynamically adapts to the previously encrypted pixel, enabling powerful Cipher Block Chaining (CBC)-style chaining and content-dependent diffusion. A four-dimensional memristive system is solved by the use of fractional-order calculus, which gives an ultra-large key space (>10⁸⁰) and very high sensitivity to initial conditions—confirmed by a positive largest Lyapunov exponent (1.7199). The encryption kernel maps the traditional Exclusive OR (XOR) with the reversible two-step operation: the modular addition of the plaintext with the first keystream byte and the XOR with the second keystream one, both of which increase non-linearity and confusion. Large-scale experiments with six standard 256 × 256 colour images indicate almost ideal entropy (7.9994), Number of Pixel Change Rate (NPCR) which is 99.62, Unified Average Changing Intensity (UACI) which is 33.43, correlation coefficients are near to zero, very low Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) homogeneity (≈0.017) and high contrast (≈4843) and low energy (≈0.006 The ciphertext passes seven National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP-800-22 statistical tests, is extremely sensitive to keys (a perturbation of 1 × 10⁻¹⁴ alters >99.6% of ciphertext) and resists chosen-plaintext and known-plaintext attacks. Decryption has linear time complexity O(N), and average encryption and decryption times are 3.40 s and 2.75 s for 256 × 256 images. The proposed cryptosystem provides an attractive security–performance trade-off that can be used in high-security systems like medical image protection, privacy-preserving multimedia transmission, and secure cloud storage. Full article

Most studies in the field of application technology have focused on the interaction between adjuvants and agrochemicals, highlighting the need for further research to evaluate the behavior of adjuvants in association with other classes of crop protection products. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of adjuvants and air velocity on spray drift deposition in simulated applications conducted in a wind tunnel using a bioinsecticide based on Bacillus thuringiensis. The experiment was carried out in an open-circuit, blower-type wind tunnel installed at the Agricultural Machinery Laboratory of the State University of Goiás—Central Campus. The study was conducted in a completely randomized design arranged in a 5 × 4 × 4 factorial scheme, with three replications. Treatments consisted of five horizontal distances from the spraying point (0.45, 0.75, 1.05, 1.35, and 1.65 m), four wind speeds inside the tunnel (1 m s⁻¹, 2 m s⁻¹, 3 m s⁻¹, and 4 m s⁻¹), and four spray solution formulations (water; Dipel^®, Dipel^® + Veget’Oil^®, and Dipel^® + Break Thru^®). Artificial targets positioned transversely to the airflow were used to collect spray deposition and, after spraying, were divided into lower, middle, and upper thirds according to the height of the test section. Data were obtained by spectrophotometry and, after verification of the ANOVA assumptions, were subjected to analysis of variance (p < 0.05). When significant effects were observed, regression analyses were applied. Statistical analyses were conducted using the R and Sisvar software packages. Mean deposition values were converted into deposition percentage as a function of the total sprayed volume. The experimental data were also subjected to geostatistical analysis using GS+ software (Version 7^®). After confirming spatial dependence, contour maps were generated using kriging. Higher wind speeds led to higher deposition percentages. The use of adjuvants affected spray deposition in the upper and middle thirds, with responses depending on the spray solution composition. Spray deposition in the wind tunnel can be analyzed using geostatistics, as this variable showed a high degree of spatial variability across all treatments evaluated. Full article

This study was conducted to explore how varying the concentration of nano-La₂O₃ particles in the plating bath influences the morphology, constitution, and corrosion resistance of Ni-B composite coatings deposited on N80 carbon steel via electroless plating. The novelty of this work lies in the systematic investigation on the co-deposition behavior and grain refinement mechanism of nano-La₂O₃ in electroless Ni-B system, which has been rarely reported in previous studies. The microstructure and chemical composition of the coatings were characterized through a combination of SEM, EDS, XPS and XRD analyses. SEM confirmed that a dense Ni-B/La₂O₃ composite coating was formed, with a uniform thickness of approximately 10 μm, and the nano-La₂O₃ particles were evenly distributed. XPS analysis verified the presence of B, C, O, Ni and La, while XRD analysis revealed a refinement in crystalline size due to the addition of the nanoparticles. The corrosion resistance enhancement mechanism is attributed to the triple synergistic effect: nano-La₂O₃ pins grain boundaries and refines Ni-B grains to the minimum average size of 12.943 nm at the optimal concentration of 8 g·L⁻¹; the refined grain structure promotes the formation of a continuous and dense Ni(OH)₂ passive film; the uniformly dispersed nanoparticles act as physical barriers to block the penetration of corrosive media. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that this coating exhibited outstanding anti-corrosion performance, as confirmed by a remarkably positive corrosion potential (E_corr = −0.37189 V) and a minimal corrosion current density (I_corr = 3.7524 μA/cm²). The results conclusively show that nano-La₂O₃ reinforcement effectively enhances the corrosion protection performance of electroless Ni-B alloy coatings. Full article

The counterfeiting of official documents and banknotes represents a critical threat to global security and requires robust and low-cost protection techniques. This work presents an innovative information security system that uses photoluminescent inks for chromatic multiplexing of QR codes. Unlike conventional cryptographic methods, the proposed approach employs physical-layer information hiding through the superposition of two QR codes encoded in magenta and cyan colors on a white background. The controlled interaction between these codes generates an additional logical state that enables a third representation of information through pixel-level operations. The resulting chromatic QR code remains visually imperceptible under ambient illumination and can be reliably recovered through chromatic demultiplexing and thresholding process. Additionally, its visibility can be enhanced under ultraviolet (UV) excitation due to photoluminescent behavior and spectral response variations. The experimental results demonstrate that both encoded data layers can be extracted independently with high fidelity using standard CMOS sensors, while preserving structural integrity and decodability. The proposed scheme increases information density within a single optical tag while improving resistance against unauthorized replication and visual forgery. Full article

Pesticide-residue risk perceptions among agricultural professionals are shaped by factors that extend beyond knowledge gaps. This study examines how trust in regulatory systems and information sources jointly shape residue-related attitudes among Greek agronomists. We used principal components analysis (PCA) to identify coherent domains and then latent profile analysis (LPA) to derive person-centered profiles based on standardized component scores. Two dominant profiles emerged, differing in regulatory confidence, reliance on institutional/scientific information channels, and comparative risk framing. Residue-Concerned Skeptics expressed lower confidence in enforcement capacity (implementation and staffing) and in the system’s alignment with other EU Member States, together with concerns about chronic pesticide exposure. The System-Confident profile reported higher regulatory confidence and greater reliance on official and scientific channels, as well as stronger endorsement of IPM effectiveness and comparative risk rankings. External validation supported profile differences in perceived training adequacy, IPM beliefs, and organic avoidance behavior. Professional involvement in plant protection and older age were associated with membership in the System-Confident profile. These findings suggest that interventions should emphasize clear communication, capacity building, and address concerns about chronic exposure, beyond information provision alone. Full article

Objectives: A customizable 3D-bioprinted core-in-shell platform was developed for time-dependent oral colon delivery of live microorganisms. The system conveyed Lacticaseibacillus paracasei as a model bacterial species within a monolithic core, which was surrounded by a swellable hydroxypropyl cellulose barrier, imparting a lag phase of programmable duration, and by an enteric outer layer, protecting the dosage form during unpredictable gastric residence. Methods: Pastes of different compositions were investigated to shape the core. Core and core-in-shell units were fabricated from digital models using a bioprinter equipped with a high-precision plunger dispenser and pressure-based thermoplastic printhead. The printed units were characterized in terms of mass, dimensions, mechanical properties and release performance using paracetamol as a reference tracer. Bacterial viability was evaluated during screening of the formulation components and after each processing step by manual counting of colony-forming units. Results: A mannitol-based formulation was selected for fabrication of the core, offering a favorable balance of printability, physico-technological properties, release behavior and ability to preserve bacterial viability. Two-layer core-in-shell systems were manufactured via a dual-printing operating mode. The desired in vitro performance was attained, with no release under acidic conditions, a lag phase in pH 6.8 fluid and a subsequent release profile comparable with that generated by the core as such. Viability studies demonstrated that compounding, core printing, shell deposition and drying did not adversely affect L. paracasei survival. Conclusions: 3D bioprinting was proved to be a versatile technique for the manufacturing of oral colon delivery systems containing probiotics or live biotherapeutics. Full article

Artificial intelligence is reshaping warehouse work through algorithmic task allocation, scanner-based monitoring, KPI feedback, dynamic scheduling, and real-time performance control. Although these systems can improve coordination and operational visibility, they also create governance risks related to fairness, transparency, autonomy, privacy, workload pressure, trust, and employee resistance. This study develops a human-centered decision framework for prioritizing algorithmic management governance packages in third-party logistics (3PL) warehousing. The main contribution is to translate employee-level governance concerns into a scenario-sensitive decision model that helps managers select appropriate governance packages under different operational pressures. The study uses survey data from 380 warehouse employees to examine key psychological and behavioral mechanisms, including procedural fairness, transparency, system/information quality, autonomy, privacy concern, workload, trust, acceptance, and resistance/disengagement. These survey-supported constructs are then converted into six governance criteria: procedural fairness, transparency and contestability clarity, system and information quality, autonomy support, privacy boundary governance, and workload protection. A seven-expert panel evaluates five governance packages under three scenarios: peak season surge, labor shortage/high turnover, and audit pressure/compliance scrutiny. Methodologically, the framework combines Dynamic Multi-Facet Fuzzy Sets to capture membership, non-membership, hesitancy, engagement, and resistance; Bayesian Network weighting to reflect dependencies among governance criteria; and PCA-based ranking optimization to generate scenario-specific and robust rankings. Comparative validation with SAW and TOPSIS is also used to assess ranking consistency. The findings show that effective algorithmic management governance is not a fixed compliance solution. Transparency, workload protection, autonomy support, privacy boundary governance, and procedural fairness become more or less important depending on the operational scenario. A2, which combines transparency, workload protection, and autonomy support, emerges as the strongest robust package. A1 performs best under labor shortage/high turnover, while A3 performs best under audit pressure/compliance scrutiny. These results suggest that 3PL warehouses should adopt adaptive governance routines that combine explainability, contestability, workload safeguards, privacy boundaries, and employee voice mechanisms. The study contributes to the literature on AI in socio-technical systems by showing how human, organizational, and ethical concerns can be embedded into an interpretable decision framework for responsible algorithmic management in logistics work environments. Full article

Prior research suggests that health messages can affect men and women differently, yet these differences and their underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. Based on the premise that many health messages are implicitly gendered, this randomized controlled experiment (N = 1116), conducted in a high-risk real-world context, investigates the effectiveness of implicitly gendered messages on psychosocial determinants of protective behaviors, including cognitive, attitudinal, and motivational dimensions, as well as behavioral intentions. Twelve public health messages, derived from commonly used communications and theoretical frameworks, were first evaluated according to their perceived masculinity or femininity, and their effects were then experimentally tested across participants. Results indicate that messages strongly aligned with gender stereotypes produce the largest differences in effectiveness between men and women. For example, authority-based messages (a masculine stereotype) are more effective among men, whereas messages emphasizing social reciprocity or concern for others (feminine stereotypes) are more effective among women. These effects emerge only when recipients are likely to engage in systematic processing, particularly when their political stance diverges from that of the message source (the French government). The results support the gendered message–recipient gender congruence hypothesis, rather than alternative explanations based on gender-specific processing styles, with substantial practical implications. Full article

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is increasingly used in multi-story timber construction, but its combustible nature requires reliable fire protection, particularly in layered wall assemblies with concealed cavities. This study compares two medium-scale cross-laminated timber (CLT) sandwich wall assemblies exposed to radiant heat flux of 20 kW/m² for 90 min: an uncoated reference assembly and an assembly with PROMADUR^® intumescent coating applied to the CLT surfaces. Both specimens consisted of a 90 mm three-ply CLT panel encapsulated with 12.5 mm gypsum-fiber boards fixed to a wooden stud frame forming a 40 mm installation cavity. Fire-test observations were supplemented by simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), i.e., thermogravimetry (TG)/differential thermogravimetry (DTG)/differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), of uncoated and coated CLT specimens under oxidative conditions. During the applied medium-scale radiant exposure, the unexposed-face temperatures of both assemblies remained below the insulation temperature-rise limits defined in STN EN 1363-1; however, these limits were used only as a comparative benchmark and the test does not represent a formal fire-resistance classification. The coated assembly showed improved thermal protection during the early and intermediate stages of exposure, delaying a critical thermal event near the wooden stud by approximately 35 min. However, flaming combustion of the stud occurred at about 75 min and led to degradation of the intumescent char within the cavity. In contrast, the uncoated assembly reached higher early CLT surface temperatures but showed no flaming combustion during the test. STA results supported the fire-test interpretation: the coated specimen showed a 37% reduction in peak DTG rate, a higher residual mass at the end of the test, and substantially greater mass loss in the 150–280 °C range, consistent with intumescent activation and volatile release. The results indicate that, under the tested medium-scale exposure, the intumescent coating improved early and intermediate thermal protection of the CLT surface, but did not prevent late-stage cavity flaming involving the wooden stud. Therefore, the behavior of intumescent-coated CLT in partially enclosed cavities with combustible framing should be validated under replicated, standardized and larger-scale fire exposure. Full article

The paper presents AI Sentinel, a closed-loop socio-technical approach to monitoring, analyzing, and responding to negative hotel reviews through a combination of big data analytics, natural language processing, and machine learning predictive modeling. A total of 85,178 reviews were analyzed for 80 European hotel properties, with 5665 (mean = 6.54) classified as negative and 79,513 (mean = 9.22) classified as positive. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was used to discover topics; Gradient Boosting was used to classify high-risk reviews (AUC = 0.919); and a rule-based engine was employed for routing recovery/delivery of service. This analysis identified ten major complaint areas in guest reviews, with Cleanliness, staff behavior, and room quality accounting for 47.0% of negative comments about hotels and forming the Critical tier of intervention. There are three key theoretical contributions made by this study: (1) establishing operationalization of joint socio-technical optimization in AI-augmented service management; (2) introducing algorithmic service sensing as a time-compression mechanism for recovery workflow; and (3) demonstrating that the integration of unsupervised topic modeling with supervised risk classifications can provide a compounded analytical approach. Managerial consequences include risk prioritization at the portfolio level, the design of specific services to target certain traveler segments, nationality-based recovery threshold levels, and an appropriate governance structure that meets the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation and the new European Union Artificial Intelligence Act. Full article

Physical inactivity and household financial fragility are often studied separately, yet households may respond to health and financial shocks through interrelated behavioral, health, and financial processes. This study examines whether physical activity, health capital, and household financial resilience are dynamically associated in China. Using five waves of the China Family Panel Studies, we construct a household-wave panel and multidimensional indices of health capital and financial resilience. We apply lagged household fixed-effects models, dynamic mediation analysis, and panel vector autoregression with impulse response functions and forecast error variance decomposition. The results indicate that physical activity is positively associated with subsequent health capital, health capital positively predicts subsequent household financial resilience, and financial resilience has a smaller but statistically significant association with later physical activity. The mediation results are consistent with health capital serving as a partial transmission channel between physical activity and financial resilience. The PVAR results show persistent cross-variable responses, suggesting modest dynamic interdependence among the three components rather than definitive causal evidence of a strong self-reinforcing system. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that these associations are more pronounced among low-income, older-head, and chronic-risk households. These findings extend health-capital and household finance research by showing that health behavior and financial resilience can be examined as jointly evolving household-level processes. The results suggest that integrated approaches to physical activity promotion and household financial protection may be worth further policy experimentation and evaluation, especially for vulnerable households. Full article

With the global advancement of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the importance of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies has become increasingly prominent. As a critical component of CCUS systems, gaseous CO₂ pipeline transportation has emerged as a research hotspot due to its efficiency and cost effectiveness. However, there are invariably corrosion problems when it comes to gaseous CO₂ pipeline transportation. These issues pose a significant threat to both the safety and economic viability of pipeline operations. Therefore, it is of importance to investigate gaseous CO₂ corrosion during pipeline transportation. In this work, based on recent domestic and international research achievements, research progress in the field of gaseous CO₂ corrosion during pipeline transportation is systematically reviewed. First, the corrosion mechanisms and corrosion characteristics during gaseous CO₂ pipeline transportation are studied, and the synergistic mechanisms by which key parameters such as impurities, temperature, pressure, flow velocity, and water content jointly influence pipeline wall corrosion behavior are elucidated. Then, corrosion products in CO₂ transportation pipelines are analyzed, and protective measures applicable to gaseous CO₂ pipeline systems are synthesized. Finally, future research goals are proposed to promote research on gaseous CO₂ corrosion during pipeline transportation: the impact of interactions among multiple impurities on corrosion behavior should be clarified; the inhibitory effects of the dynamic evolution of product films on mass transfer processes should be considered in corrosion rate calculation models; and more economical and efficient anti-corrosion technologies should be developed to meet diverse operational requirements. This work can provide guidance for the corrosion protection of gaseous CO₂ pipeline transportation. Full article

Essential oils (EOs) are widely studied as natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents in food systems. However, their high volatility, low water solubility, instability, phytotoxicity, and strong aroma often limit their consistent applicability for food preservation. This review critically examines the literature and synthesizes current essential oil stabilization and delivery strategies in food systems, integrated with a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed literature published before June 2025. The bibliometric findings showed an expanding research field, supported by 543 authors and 54 journals, revealing the disciplinary diversity of research on essential oil-based preservation systems. In addition, the review highlights a significant focus of studies on nanoemulsions, encapsulation, and active packaging in essential oil applications. Interestingly, the study also reveals the emergence of non-contact, or vapor-phase, technologies with improved release management. Furthermore, the review shows that essential oils’ functionality depends not only on major bioactive compounds but also on chemical class, oxidative sensitivity, release behavior, interactions with the food matrix, and the delivery platform. Mechanistically, stabilization technologies such as emulsions, encapsulation, and coatings/films can improve the protection, dispersion, and release of essential oils; however, their effectiveness strongly relies on formulation variables, matrix composition, and the regulatory framework. Emerging platforms such as nanofibers, zeolites, and metal–organic frameworks offer promising routes for vapor-phase or non-contact delivery systems, ensuring improved release control, functionality, and sensory quality, but may be limited by their scalability and production cost. However, a major research gap identified by this review is the imbalance between extensive “in vitro” studies and limited studies on real food matrices, which impedes understanding of the impacts of food matrices and packaging materials on essential oil release kinetics, antimicrobial efficacy, and sensory quality. Therefore, future research should integrate real-food applications, consumer acceptability, shelf-life performance, release-kinetic modeling, and techno-economic analysis to advance essential-oil-based technologies in food systems. Full article

The interfacial behavior of hybrid nanoparticles on biological substrates governs their functional performance. Here, we investigate how surface properties and colloidal stability dictate the pH-dependent adhesion of oxybenzone-loaded palygorskite nanohybrids to hair—a model biological interface. A series of hybrids with 5–50% oxybenzone loadings were prepared via melt impregnation. XRD and FTIR analyses confirm hydrogen bonding between oxybenzone and palygorskite, forming stable organic–inorganic hybrids. The colloidal stability of these nanohybrids varies non-monotonically with oxybenzone loading, governed by surface hydrophilicity and zeta potential, exhibiting a network-like behavior upon pH change. Optimal stability is achieved at an intermediate loading with a favorable balance of surface properties. While pristine hybrids show no affinity for hair, surface modification with cationic polyquaternium-7 (PQ-7) or non-ionic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) enables effective deposition through distinct pH-dependent mechanisms: PQ-7 operates optimally at pH 10 via electrostatic attraction, whereas PVP performs best at pH 4 through hydrogen bonding, forming a protective coating layer on the hair surface. Deposition fails for PVP-modified hybrids at 50% loading due to excessive surface hydrophobicity. The deposited hybrids provide exceptional UV protection, significantly mitigating cuticle damage, suppressing photo-yellowing, and minimizing protein oxidation. Among the hybrids, hybrid-35 exhibited the best colloidal stability, whereas PQ-7-modified hybrid-50 gave the highest UV protection (color difference ΔE reduced from 10.51 to 1.60). The adhesion rates of the two best-performing hybrids were 2.70% and 2.85%, respectively. Beyond hair protection, we evaluate the environmental interface of these materials. While free oxybenzone is highly toxic to Chlorella vulgaris, hybridization drastically reduces its ecotoxicity. Remarkably, palygorskite and the hybrids promote algal growth, likely by acting as nutrient adsorbents and attachment sites. This work provides fundamental insights into particle–biointerface interactions and offers a strategy for designing functional hybrid materials with tailored surface properties for bio-related applications. Full article

Carbon/inorganic hybrid composites have evolved from filler-reinforced materials into design platforms for coupled electromagnetic, thermal, sensing, environmental, protective and energy-related functions. Their distinctive value lies in the possibility of combining a conductive, polarizable or porous carbon phase with an inorganic phase that contributes dielectric, magnetic, catalytic, ionic, thermally conductive or barrier behavior. This review examines carbon/inorganic hybrid multifunctional composites from the viewpoint of structure–property relationships, with emphasis on interfacial design, percolation, anisotropy, hierarchical architecture, processing and metrology. Selected graphitic composite studies are discussed as case studies for broadband dielectric spectroscopy, microwave shielding, high-frequency contact metrology, thermal diffusivity analysis and impedance-monitored graphene filters; these case studies are integrated with the broader international literature on CNT and graphene polymer composites, MXene films and foams, graphene/metal oxide photocatalysts, boron nitride/carbon thermal networks, biochar–graphene adsorbents, smart coatings, sensors, supercapacitors and water remediation systems. The central argument is that credible multifunctionality requires more than measuring several properties on the same material. It requires simultaneous or service-relevant co-optimization under constraints of thickness, density, processability, aging, humidity, corrosive media, regeneration, toxicity, economic feasibility and scalable fabrication. The review concludes with design rules and reporting recommendations intended to help move the field from impressive property demonstrations toward application-ready hybrid material systems. Full article