Search Results (1,460)

Given the important role of early detection in improving cancer outcomes, epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation, have emerged as powerful biomarkers for cancer screening and diagnosis. However, methylation profiling of cfDNA (circulating free DNA) presents particular technical challenges because cfDNA is typically present at very low concentrations and is highly fragmented. Bisulfite conversion, although essential for distinguishing methylated from unmethylated cytosines, can further compromise DNA integrity through chemical-induced loss of DNA during purification steps. Inadequate conversion or excessive DNA loss may consequently reduce library complexity, increase DNA duplication rates, and negatively affect mapping efficiency and downstream sequencing quality. Therefore, optimizing bisulfite conversion is particularly important for reliable methylation profiling of low-input cfDNA. The effectiveness of these diagnostic approaches relies on the accurate detection of DNA methylation patterns, which is fundamentally dependent on the efficiency of bisulfite conversion of genomic DNA. This pilot study aims to compare the performance of two widely used bisulfite conversion kits, namely the EpiTect Bisulfite (EpiTect) Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) and the EZ DNA Methylation (Zymo) Kit (Zymo Research, Irvine, CA, USA), in the context of plasma-derived cfDNA methylation profiling using five samples, including two plasma samples from metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients collected at the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, TX, USA, and two plasma samples from healthy donors (controls) purchased from Innovative Research (Novi, MI, USA), along with one control DNA sample (Corriel NA12878-N88). Our objective was to evaluate and compare their conversion efficiency, mapping efficiency (percentage of mapped and unmapped reads), duplication rate, and distribution of methylated cytosines in CpG, CHG, and CHH contexts. Our results indicate that samples processed using the Zymo kit consistently outperformed those treated with the EpiTect kit across multiple performance metrics. The Zymo-treated samples yielded a higher concentration of cfDNA following bisulfite conversion (125.34 nM vs. 45.60 nM in samples processed with the Epitect kit). Additionally, the Zymo kit achieved a higher average bisulfite conversion efficiency (99.3% vs. 95.7%), as well as a significantly higher average mapping rate (94.86% vs. 72.4%), with fewer unmapped reads and lower duplication rates. Head-to-head comparison of Bismark methylation calls across the same reference regions showed high concordance between the two protocols. The SEPT9 region was strongly hypermethylated with both protocols (100% with EpiTect and approximately 94% with Zymo), whereas the BMP3 region was predominantly unmethylated (approximately 4% with EpiTect and 7% with Zymo). These findings suggest that the Zymo kit demonstrated improved performance under the conditions evaluated for cfDNA methylation analysis compared to the EpiTect protocol. Further investigation using a larger number of samples is needed to validate our findings. Full article

Seafood is an important component of the Ecuadorian diet, particularly in coastal regions; however, contamination from anthropogenic activities has raised concerns about human exposure to toxic metals. This study quantified cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), and total mercury (THg) in shrimp (Protrachypene precipua), shrimp-prawn (Litopenaeus vannamei), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), and Pacific thread herring (PTH; Opisthonema sp.) purchased in Quito and Manta. A total of 71 samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry (flame and graphite furnace) and cold-vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Distinct metal accumulation patterns were observed among species: blue marlin exhibited markedly elevated THg concentrations (1117.7 µg/kg) consistent with biomagnification processes, whereas shrimp-prawns showed the highest Cd levels (67.5 µg/kg). Pb and Co levels were below the corresponding limits of quantification in all samples. All detectable concentrations of Cd and THg remained below the maximum levels established by the Codex Alimentarius and European Union regulations. Risk characterization based on Hazard Quotient (HQ) indicated that THg intake from blue marlin exceeded the safety threshold (HQ > 1) across all demographic groups under both mean and maximum consumption scenarios. Additionally, HQ values above 1 were observed for toddlers and children consuming shrimp, shrimp-prawn, and PTH under the maximum exposure scenario. In contrast, Cd exposure remained below the level of concern for all seafood products and population groups. Overall, blue marlin was the primary contributor to potential mercury exposure, particularly among younger consumers. Full article

Mead is a fermented beverage produced through the yeast fermentation of diluted honey. Among its variations, melomel stands out as it is prepared with the addition of fruits to enhance the sensory and nutritional profile of the beverage. Although Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the conventional choice for mead fermentation, the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii has emerged as a promising starter culture to develop functional alcoholic beverages. This study aimed to evaluate the sensory profile of a cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) melomel fermented with S. boulardii using the consumers acceptance and the Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) methodologies. Accordingly, two treatments were designed for the sensory analysis: (i) Treatment 1 (T1), consisting of cupuaçu melomel fermented with the probiotic yeast S. boulardii at a concentration of 1 g/L; and (ii) Treatment 2 (T2), consisting of cupuaçu melomel fermented with the commercial yeast S. cerevisiae, also at a concentration of 1 g/L. The products were evaluated by 113 healthy volunteer consumers, aged 18 years or older, who were not pregnant and had no history of allergy or intolerance to alcohol, honey, and/or cupuaçu. Although the participants had limited familiarity with honey wine, all reported being familiar with and enjoying both honey and cupuaçu. Compared with the cupuaçu melomel fermented with the conventional yeast S. cerevisiae, the melomel fermented with S. boulardii achieved higher scores (p < 0.05) for flavor, overall impression and purchase intent. CATA analysis revealed that attributes indicating “light amber color,” “clear,” “honey aroma,” “sweet taste,” “honey flavor,” and “Flavorful” were associated with the S. boulardii formulation. In conclusion, S. boulardii represents a viable alternative culture for melomel processing, supporting the development of fermented beverages with improved sensory characteristics and good consumer acceptance. Full article

Background: Indirect procurement in precision manufacturing remains under-digitised, generating high transaction volumes, limited spend visibility, and weak compliance enforcement. This study examines the selection and implementation of an e-Procurement platform for the indirect purchasing function of a high-precision optical components manufacturer. Methods: A qualitative action-research methodology, combining a narrative literature review, a weighted multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) across 16 candidate platforms, and participatory implementation across four data preparation workstreams. Results: The selected platform outperformed the competing finalist with a raw evaluation score of 82 vs. 81 (out of 90 scored criteria; 120 if the zero-weighted Sourcing criterion is included) and a weighted score of 23.3 vs. 22.9, with System Quality the decisive differentiator. Implementation outcomes include an 85.7% reduction in payment term codes (133 to 19), a 68.75% reduction in unit of measure codes (48 to 15), restructuring a 22-category taxonomy into 10-group and 56-subcategory, and a projected 75% reduction in purchase order lead time (a process-mapping estimate, pending post-go-live validation). 105 users were trained across six role categories before go-live. Conclusions: Data governance is a strategic prerequisite. The framework offers a replicable approach for precision manufacturing, with ERP integration, multi-level approval workflow design, and role-differentiated training as success factors. Full article

Floriculture and ornamental horticulture face pressure to improve environmental and social performance without undermining economic viability, yet evidence on how sustainability becomes economic value remains fragmented. This systematic mapping and bibliometric review examines the field’s evolution and structure, the conditions under which sustainability attributes generate consumer value, and the firm-level and governance factors shaping adoption and value distribution. Scopus and Web of Science were searched on 10 May 2026 for English-language journal articles published from 2015 onwards. A PRISMA-guided process retained 77 studies, analysed through descriptive statistics, VOSviewer co-occurrence mapping, thematic classification and narrative synthesis. Publication activity became more continuous after 2020, but consumer preferences and willingness to pay accounted for 32.5% of the corpus. Bibliometric mapping identified three connected domains: sectoral sustainability and competitiveness, consumer valuation, and business adoption. Local origin, certification, pollinator-friendly production, reduced pesticide use and native plants can support differentiation and price premiums when aesthetic and functional quality, acceptable prices, label comprehension and trust are maintained. Producer-side evidence is less developed: adoption depends on investment and labour requirements, production risk, finance and buyer coordination. Certification may improve reputation and market access, while compliance costs, scale requirements and bargaining asymmetries can exclude smaller firms or prevent benefits from reaching growers and workers. The review distinguishes market potential, firm-level viability and realised value-chain outcomes. Sustainability creates economic value when consumer recognition, production feasibility and credible governance are aligned; future research should connect observed purchases and transaction prices with adoption costs, contracts and measurable environmental and social outcomes. Full article

TikTok supports fashion discovery and creator-mediated brand communication. This study examines associations among TikTok fashion-brand content involvement, brand awareness, brand engagement, and purchase-related intentions among Bulgarian users and illustrates a human-governed analytical architecture for structured and open survey data. An online survey yielded 295 responses; 268 eligible TikTok users comprised the sample. The architecture organizes primary measurement and structural analysis, secondary prediction and moderation, exploratory response-structure and text analysis, and descriptive multi-criteria synthesis within processing stages. Content involvement was positively associated with awareness (β = 0.683), engagement (β = 0.512), and purchase-related intentions (β = 0.283). Awareness was associated with engagement (β = 0.300) but had no incremental direct association with purchase-related intentions; engagement showed the strongest direct association (β = 0.496). The model explained 52.5% of purchase-related-intention variance, and PLS-PM prediction produced lower errors than the training-mean benchmark for all four outcome indicators. No demographic interaction received Holm-adjusted support. Illustrative multi-criteria synthesis ranked engagement first, involvement second, and awareness third under sample-derived criteria. Dictionary-assisted open-response categories concerning presentation, creators, reviews, demonstrations, music, and humor were manually checked against the responses. All reported relationships are cross-sectional associations and do not establish causal effects, intervention effectiveness, or marketing priorities. Concentrated sampling, broad working constructs, and internal validation require cautious interpretation and independent external replication. Full article

With the booming of cross-border live streaming e-commerce, this study examined the influence mechanism of cross-border live streaming interactions on consumers’ impulsive purchase intention based on the timulus–organism–response (SOR) model. Two independent psychological organism mediators are proposed, immersive experience and foreign cultural identity, and AI (artificial intelligence) enablement acts as a cross-layer moderating variable. Three core dimensions of cross-border live streaming interaction (consumer–product, consumer–consumer, consumer–anchor) are refined, and empirical tests are conducted with 620 valid questionnaires via SPSS 26.0, AMOS 28.0 and PROCESS. Results showed that consumer–product and consumer–anchor interactions exerted significant positive direct effects on impulsive purchase intention (consumer–consumer interaction’s direct effect was insignificant); both flow experience dimensions exert partial mediating effects in the paths linking consumer–product/consumer–anchor interaction to impulsive purchase intention and full mediating effects for the consumer–consumer interaction path. AI enablement positively moderates the effect of live streaming interactions on flow experience and the effect of immersive experience on impulsive purchase intention, but its moderating effect on the foreign cultural identity–impulsive purchase intention link was insignificant. This study advanced the research on cross-border live streaming consumer behavior and offered targeted practical suggestions for platform optimization with AI technology while enriching the SOR model’s application in cross-cultural consumption scenarios. Full article

Live-streaming commerce has become a critical information channel through which consumers evaluate products and make purchase decisions, yet brand manufacturers face substantial uncertainty when selecting live-streaming partners. This study investigates how streamer influence and consumer sensitivity to live-streaming service quality jointly shape optimal cooperation structures in platform-based commerce. We develop a game-theoretic decision framework comparing three cooperation modes—Nash negotiation, manufacturer-led, and streamer-led—and derive closed-form equilibria for pricing, service quality, and profit allocation. The results show that manufacturer-led cooperation consistently maximizes brand profit by preserving incentives to provide service quality. In contrast, streamer-led cooperation can reduce overall efficiency when dominant streamers lack motivation to improve service quality. To corroborate our theoretical predictions, we employ live-stream sales data from the Douyin (TikTok) platform, covering multiple streamer tiers and two cosmetic brands, and find empirical support for the model’s key insights. The findings contribute to the literature on information processing and incentive alignment in platform-based live-streaming commerce, offering actionable guidance for manufacturers’ partnership strategies. Full article

Sustainable consumption is central to sustainable development goals (SDGs), yet research on consumer behavior (CB) remains scattered. Studies on green consumption, digital retail, fashion, food systems, digital finance, energy, and tourism have developed largely in isolation, and few studies have investigated what these settings share or how sustainability-relevant behavior unfolds after the moment of purchase. This study takes a wider view, applying the SPAR-4-SLR protocol to a decade of CB and sustainability scholarship and combining machine-learning-based BERTopic thematic modeling with SDG mapping, organized through a Theory–Context–Method and Antecedents–Decision–Outcome (TCM–ADO) lens. Seven themes emerged, concentrated on SDGs 8 (decent work), 9 (industry innovation), and 12 (sustainable consumption). Together, they point to a shift away from individual purchase choices toward consumption that is multistage, digitally mediated, and institutionally embedded. Across the seven theme-level summaries, trust, engagement, risk perception, ethics, literacy, and experience appear repeatedly. Because several of these constructs were included in the retrieval query, this pattern is interpreted as cross-theme recurrence within the query-defined corpus rather than as independent evidence of universal prevalence across sustainable consumer-behavior research. Digital and platform mediation appears as one cross-cutting condition, and is most visible where consumption is heavily platform-based. On this basis, the review proposes a process framework that treats antecedents as capability, vulnerability, and layered trust; decisions as multistage and mediated; and outcomes as interdependent SDG bundles. Twelve propositions and a research agenda follow, testable across food, energy, finance, fashion, tourism, and digital retail. Full article

Chinese home-cooked dishes (CHCDs) link agricultural production and daily consumption, but their resource dependence and sustainability remain poorly quantified. We standardized 341 recipes from China’s 34 provincial-level administrative regions, conducted a production-to-consumption analysis using emergy (solar-equivalent available energy directly and indirectly required for a product or service), and evaluated six optimization scenarios. Mean emergy input was 5.93 × 10¹² sej·dish⁻¹, with nonrenewable purchased inputs accounting for 77.99%. Ingredients, oil and sauces, and cooking contributed 69.17%, 21.69%, and 9.14%, respectively. Plant-based production relied on labor and chemical inputs; animal-based production relied on feed. Ruminant meats had relatively high nonrenewable inputs and environmental loads; vegetables had lower values. Across CHCDs, the emergy sustainability index (ESI), transformity, emergy consumption intensity, and food processing intensity averaged 0.26, 1.02 × 10⁶ sej·J⁻¹, 1.45 × 10¹² sej·serving⁻¹, and 4.64 × 10¹¹ sej·serving⁻¹, respectively. Sustainability declined from plant-based through mixed to animal-based dishes. Shandong cuisine ranked highest and Zhejiang cuisine lowest in combined sustainability and efficiency. Combining crop–livestock recycling, mechanization and energy-efficiency improvements, technological advancement and scaling up, moderate oil and sauce reduction, and cooking-efficiency improvements was projected to increase ESI by 19.34% relative to baseline. These results support dish-level emergy accounting for improving agri-food sustainability. Full article

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from chemical manufacturing present substantial operational, compliance, and competitive challenges under international climate accords and emerging regulatory frameworks, including the European Union Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). This study provides an empirically grounded, multi-site decarbonization framework combining longitudinal quarterly operational datasets collected from 14 industrial coating manufacturing facilities (2024–2025) with an audited baseline manufacturing facility producing 35,640 metric tonnes annually. Lifecycle GHG accounting reveals that upstream raw material procurement and synthesis (Category 4) dominate the value-chain carbon footprint, contributing 89.48% (172,557 tCO₂e) of the total 192,834 tCO₂e baseline organizational footprint. In contrast, direct stationary combustion (Category 1) and purchased electricity (Category 2 location-based) account for only 0.89% (1711 tCO₂e) and 2.46% (4741 tCO₂e), respectively. To resolve implementation trade-offs, a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework integrates annual carbon abatement potential, Technology Readiness Level (TRL), capital intensity, and payback dynamics to establish a prioritized Six-Tier Decarbonization Hierarchy: Tier 1 (Priority 1)—upstream bio-based resin and binder substitution, delivering an estimated baseline reduction of 25,880–60,050 tCO₂e/year (13.4–31.1% of baseline emissions); Tier 2 (Priority 2)—drop-in bio-based and circular solvent replacement, achieving 4820–9640 tCO₂e/year (2.5–5.0% baseline reduction); Tier 3 (Priority 3)—thermal process electrification via high-temperature industrial heat pumps (COP 2.5–3.1), eliminating 1027–1369 tCO₂e/year; Tier 4 (Priority 4)—contractual and on-site renewable electricity procurement via corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and solar PV (4490–4741 tCO₂e/year; 2.3–2.5% baseline reduction); Tier 5 (Priority 5)—systemic formulation transitions to waterborne, high-solids, and powder coating architectures (15,000–35,000 tCO₂e/year); and Tier 6 (Priority 6)—stream-conditional Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), strictly restricted to concentrated combustion stacks (CO₂ ≥ 8 vol%) and excluded from dilute post-thermal oxidizer off-gases (CO₂ ≤ 1–4 vol%) where capture is economically unviable ($180–$260/tCO₂e). Full article

On-site search has become a critical component of e-commerce platforms, shaping product discovery, navigation, and purchasing decisions. While prior research has extensively examined search algorithms and information retrieval, less attention has been given to on-site search as a navigation environment in which interface design, visual guidance, and user search behavior jointly relate to search effectiveness and commercial outcomes. This study addresses this gap through three observational analyses using real-world behavioral data from a large Greek e-commerce retailer. Studies 1 and 2 employ before-and-after comparisons to examine changes associated with Search Results Page enrichment and the introduction of visual promotional guidance, while Study 3 descriptively examines generic query use and broad-to-narrow search behavior. The observed patterns show that Search Results Page enrichment coincided with lower refinement rates and improved commercial metrics, while visual guidance coincided with higher engagement and conversion-related outcomes. The behavioral analysis further indicates a strong prevalence of short, generic queries and patterns consistent with broad-to-narrow navigation. Overall, the findings suggest that on-site search performance is associated with both interface configuration and user search behavior. The study contributes real-world evidence on search as a navigation process and offers practical implications for retailers seeking to improve search-interface performance, while acknowledging the limits of observational before-and-after data for causal inference. Full article

Educational institutions face pressure to strengthen audit readiness and modernize financial processes amid digital transformation. Romblon State University Catering Services supports campus operations and student training while generating income, yet sustainability depends on transparent, timely, and auditable controls. This study evaluated internal control practices and key transaction processes using the COSO Framework and Hall’s Transaction Processing Cycles. A descriptive qualitative case study employed process walkthroughs from March to June 2024. Results indicate centralized, undocumented procedures, limited audit trails, and weak segregation of duties in purchasing, sales, and billing, alongside absent cost accumulation and allocation, constraining cost visibility and process accountability. Full article

The implementation of global net-zero emission policies and carbon pricing mechanisms, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), has increased the need for export-oriented manufacturers to make carbon-related costs visible in production decisions. Taiwan’s fastener industry is particularly exposed because of its multi-stage production structure, intensive use of steel-based inputs, and reliance on international markets. Traditional single-base cost allocation can obscure differences in resource consumption across products and processes. To enhance the decision-making value of cost information, this study develops an Activity-Based Costing (ABC) framework that assigns modeled resource consumption to activities and products while separately internalizing carbon-related costs in a mixed-integer production-planning model. Theory of Constraints (TOC) is used as a bottleneck-focused managerial interpretation of finite production capacities rather than as a separate objective function. Using Taiwan’s fastener manufacturing industry as the research context, the model is demonstrated through an illustrative numerical example parameterized to reflect representative production and resource consumption relationships. The reported findings are therefore numerical results of the model rather than statistical empirical validation of a sampled population or a disclosed company dataset. Under the specified baseline parameters, Product 4 is selected because its revenue, purchasing-tier, activity driver, capacity, and carbon-related cost coefficients jointly dominate the alternatives. Product exclusion scenarios further show how the preferred product changes when individual products are exogenously removed while carbon price parameters are held fixed. The framework provides a transparent decision support structure for jointly examining activity costs, constrained resources, and carbon-related charges; it should not be interpreted as a legal replication of CBAM certificate obligations. Industry 5.0 extensions are positioned as future research. Full article

In grid-connected smart integrated energy systems with high shares of renewable generation, source-side variability and inadequate coordination among battery storage, other energy carriers, and the external grid limit local renewable-electricity utilization and impede deep decarbonization. This study proposes a machine-learning-assisted, renewable-driven framework for multi-energy coupling and scenario-based multi-objective optimization of electricity–heat–hydrogen–storage systems. Historical meteorological and load data are processed using K-means clustering and Latin hypercube sampling to construct representative operating scenarios across multiple volatility regimes and characterize source–load uncertainty. The equipment model includes photovoltaic arrays, wind turbines, heat pumps, electrolyzers, fuel cells, grid-interactive battery energy storage, thermal storage, and hydrogen storage; cross-carrier conversion dynamics and emissions from purchased electricity and natural gas are embedded in the energy-balance constraints. A mixed-integer linear programming formulation then co-optimizes battery charging and discharging, grid exchange, and other multi-energy flows with respect to operating cost, carbon emissions, and renewable-energy curtailment. At 95% renewable-energy penetration, the proposed method achieves a renewable-energy absorption rate of 91.6% and a curtailment rate of 8.4%. Across the carbon-price cases, annualized operating cost ranges from 126.5 × 10⁴ to 141.2 × 10⁴ USD yr⁻¹, while carbon-emission intensity ranges from 26.4 to 38.5 gCO₂/kWh_eq. Under the specified high-risk grid disturbances, the coordinated strategy limits load shedding to 1.8–73% below deterministic scheduling and 79% below the heuristic benchmark—and maintains 92.6% hydrogen self-sufficiency. These results provide a data-driven modeling and decision framework for battery–grid coordination and deep decarbonization in smart integrated energy systems. Full article